The Fire Inside
by rebeccaofsbfarm
Summary: Dr. Logan Mitchell had no idea when the young burn victim came into his ER that the boy, and the firefighter that had saved him, would change his life in ways he never could have imagined. AU.
1. Chapter 1

_There seemed to be some interest for this when I previewed it on Tumblr, so I rewrote my 'proposal' and decided to post it here. Hopefully, my updates will be timely, and I hope you guys like this. It's obviously AU, but it's better that way. Enjoy._

**- One -**

Dr. Logan Mitchell glanced up at the analog clock on the wall, the hands moving slower than he'd ever thought possible. Though he'd only been on duty for an hour, it had been a slow night. The emergency room was full of inebriated college students and feverish children, nothing to worry about. He diagnosed each of them before assigning them a nurse, moving on quickly to his next patient.

Most nights he would have had a partner for this shift, another doctor that would take away some of the pressure, but tonight he'd sent Dr. Benson home early, so he could be with his own sick child. He could only hope that he wouldn't regret the decision later.

But as he treated an elderly woman who had mistaken her chest pains for a heart attack, when they were actually caused by a little heartburn, a call came in from the fire department that there'd been a fire, and the casualties were on their way in.

He jumped into action, grabbing his most capable nurses before heading toward the door where the ambulance would pull up. As soon as the flashing lights came into view, he was ready, moving quickly to the back doors of the ambulance, standing back to give the gurney clearance, before quickly leading the team to an examination room.

Looking down at his patient, he almost felt sick, something that had happened very rarely since his first days in medical school. Burns covered most of the patient's body, inflamed and pulsing with heat. What skin remained on his chest was charred and swollen, and it was all made worse by the fact it was a tiny body. This patient, mostly burned flesh and labored breathing, couldn't have been more than ten years old.

Searching the group for someone to explain the circumstances of the boy's condition, his eyes fell on a man at the back of the crowd, towering over the small army of nurses that began to strip scraps of cloth off of the boy's exposed muscles, careful not to remove his skin. The man looked stunned by the sight in front of him, but he still had his wits together, and Logan quickly noted the patterns of sweat on his gray shirt, emblazoned with the insignia of the Los Angeles Fire Department. A quick look down confirmed the man's profession, still wearing his fire gear below his waist.

He caught the man's eyes, green irises wracked with concern, and asked him specifically, "What happened?"

The man stepped forward, ready to do what he could under the circumstances, and looked down at the boy once more, before his stomach churned and he looked up at Logan's face instead, "An apartment building. We thought everybody was out, but then I heard him screaming. He was in the basement. He almost made it out on his own, but the smoke…"

Logan nodded, reaching for an oxygen mask to cover the boy's face, hoping that the air would breathe life into his lungs, before asking, "Was there anyone else?"

"His mother," the firefighter confirmed, but his face dropped. "By the time we found her it was too late. There was no sign of anyone else in the apartment."

Logan stared at the boy sympathetically. Burns covered more than half of his body, and as the nurses cleaned him up it was obvious that he had a long fight ahead. He ordered more morphine, trying to sedate the boy, who had never regained consciousness. For once, this was a good thing, as the healing would make his condition less painful when he came to.

When he looked up again, the firefighter had withdrawn, and he had his suspicions that the man's stomach had gotten the best of him. Logan wished he could have thanked the man, who'd gone into a burning building to bring his patient this far, and set to work doing what he could for the boy.

Hours later, he hovered over the boy, who was covered head to toe in clean gauze, hooked up to machines that showed he was in no immediate danger, though he was at risk for infection and would need months to heal from the damage the flames had so quickly wrought. He'd been relieved only moments ago by another doctor, his shift over, but he came to check on his patient before going home.

He tried his best not to get attached to his patients, but it was so hard not to with the boy, whose face was the only feature not touched by the flames. The back of his hands showed that he'd been smart enough to protect his face, which would save him plenty of plastic surgery down the line. Though an untrained eye would think he was sleeping peacefully, Logan saw the furrow in his brow and knew that the morphine wasn't able to mute the pain, only dull it. Scanning the boy's file for the thousandth time that night, he discovered that Social Services had finally gotten around to identifying him.

His name was Charlie Evans, and he had just turned nine last month. His mother was his only known relative, and the two had only been living in Los Angeles for a few months. That explained why none of their neighbors thought to check on them when the fire broke out. He shook his head, knowing that emotional support was just as critical as medical treatment in situations like this, and he vowed to make the boy a special case.

As two nurses entered to change his gauze, a process that would be repeated every few hours for the next couple of weeks, he withdrew to the hallway, about to go home. As much as he'd like to stick around to monitor Charlie's condition, it had been a long night, one of his longest, and he needed to tumble face first into his bed and sleep it off. Dazedly, he walked toward the doors, before noticing a distinguished set of boots, leaned against a row of chairs in the waiting room.

Sure enough, on closer inspection, he found the firefighter, his gear placed in a pile on the floor, fast asleep across a row of chairs. Other patients were glancing at him curiously, and Logan couldn't help but smile at the way his large frame folded neatly into the uncomfortable chairs. Using his back to block the view of the other occupants in the waiting room, he nudged the man as gently as he could.

Green eyes burst open, and Logan quickly realized that waking up to a fire alarm on a nightly basis would make anyone jumpy. He put a calm hand on the man's shoulder, regulating his quickened heartbeat, and showing that there was no reason to panic.

Sitting up slowly, the man only had one thought, and quickly asked, "How is he?"

Logan put on his diagnosis smile, enough to be comforting and optimistic, but to obviously show his concern, "Well, his body is about sixty percent burned, but as long as we can keep his heart rate down, his breathing consistent, and fight any infections, he'll be healing in no time. The kid's a fighter."

Years of experience fighting fires gave the man enough foresight to know what was ahead, but he asked anyway, "So what's next?"

"Well we're going to try and keep him stable, and sometime today he'll see the burn specialist. He'll also have a pediatrician, though his records show no record of one, and of course I'll be supervising. I've asked to be assigned his case."

"He got you too, huh?" the man asked, a grin appearing on his face. Logan immediately noticed his dimples, which transformed his foreboding presence into something more human and attainable.

Logan nodded, "You know, if you want updates on his condition, you should talk to…"

"I already tried, but the lady at the desk said that I had to be a family member to be put on his list of contacts. I mean, I don't even know the kid's name-"

"It's Charlie," Logan provided him. "Social Services came by a little while ago. Charlie Evans, and as you probably suspected, he has no family. The kid's alone in the world."

The grin disappeared, and he knew that the other man was probably having the same thoughts he'd had only minutes earlier. He nodded, adding, "Poor kid."

They paused a moment, and Logan looked over the tired figure, his face still smudged with soot from where his mask had sat only hours ago. He remembered vaguely that the man had revealed that he'd been the one to find the boy, and realized that he must have been just as exhausted from the night's events, if not more.

"I might be off the clock, but I know the signs of exhaustion when I see them," he added, as the tired eyes glanced up at him, unable to argue. "Do you need a ride back to the station?"

"You'd do that for me?" the man asked, before adding. "You don't even know me."

The eyes flitted down to read the nametag pinned to his white coat, and he introduced himself, wondering why it hadn't occurred to him earlier, "I know that you risked your life to save that kid, and that's enough. Dr. Mitchell, but you can call me Logan. Unless you end up as my patient, which I sincerely hope you avoid."

The man couldn't help but grin, dimples lighting up his face, "Kendall Knight. And now I guess I can take you up on your offer."

Before Kendall could object, Logan bent down to grab the pair of rather heavy steel-toed boots, lifting them with ease, which surprised the firefighter, shocked by the young doctor's strength. After all, doctors were known for their brains, not their brawn. Leading them out to his car, Logan asked which company he belonged to, realizing that the fire station was only blocks away from his apartment.

The drive was short, and Kendall turned up the volume on a favorite song, already comfortable in the presence of the other man. Logan couldn't explain the feeling of kinship between them, but he knew it was rare, and he wasn't about to complain. Long hours and night shifts had turned him into a sort of hermit, and he wondered if this was the last time he'd see the well-built firefighter. Somehow, he doubted it.

As they pulled up to the fire station, Kendall hesitated before asking, "I was wondering if I could get your number…for updates on Charlie, unless that's against protocol or something. I don't want to get you in trouble."

Though out of practice, Logan felt there was a trace of flirtation to the man's question, before shaking the thought. There was a nine year old in ICU that they were both very worried about, and it was only natural that Kendall would want to stay updated on the boy's condition. After all, he'd saved the boy's life.

Logan could only nod, and Kendall reached out his arm, nodding toward the fire station, "My phone is in there. Do you have a pen?"

Reaching into the pocket of his lab coat, he was unable to shake the feeling of writing a prescription. _Take me to bed, and call me in the morning._ He choked on his own thought, unable to look into those fascinating green eyes as he scribbled the digits across Kendall's forearm, trying to ignore the intimacy of the other man's warm skin under his fingertips.

"I should probably give you mine as well," Kendall encouraged. "In case something comes up."

Once again he nodded, reaching into his pocket for his cell phone before handing it to the other man, who looked up, evidently noticing the blush that forced its way to Logan's pale cheeks, before he finished typing in his information. After grabbing his gear out of the back seat, he gave the other man a smile and a quick wave before heading into the station.

Only a few moments later, Logan's phone went off, and he saw a text from the name that was cycling through his head, "**I should've thanked you for the ride. Get some sleep, you deserve it. And let me know if anything happens with Charlie. Thanks.**"

He smiled, enamored with the idea of being so attached to someone so quickly. He should have known, the way the man had stuck out of the crowd last night, that there was something different about him. After all, he texted with perfect grammar, among the admirable qualities that Logan began to list in his head as he tried to argue with himself that no this was not a crush.

He did not have a crush on the hot firefighter that had walked through the emergency room doors last night after saving a nine year old boy from a blaze. That was far too cliché and feminine, and he wouldn't have it. Except he would, if given a fighting chance.


	2. Chapter 2

_Since I'm about to have a busy few days, I thought I'd update while I had the chance. I should also note as a disclaimer that I'm doing only minimal research for the medical stuff, so if you're looking for realism, you're in the wrong place. I hope you enjoy this chapter._

**- Two -**

Pulled out of sleep by the constant vibration of something on his bedside table, Logan searched blindly for the obtrusive device. At first, he believed it to be his pager, and immediately thought of the boy who was still in serious condition, before realizing that it was actually his cell phone. Opening one eye to read the number, he saw that it was the number for the hospital, but he chose not to worry just yet.

Sitting up, he answered the phone call, before curiously looking over at his alarm clock, which showed that he'd slept almost ten hours after the exhausting shift the night before. It was nearly dinner time, and he was still wearing his scrubs from the night before, after passing out without a second thought when he got home.

He put the phone on speaker as he began to strip off his clothes, which smelled of sweat and disinfectant. Thankfully, the call wasn't critical, and obviously came from the nurses' station, where they were prone to gossip.

A distinctively male voice spoke, and he rolled his eyes as one of his few male friends teased him, "Did you order a stripper and accidently have him sent here? I knew you were in a dry spell, but this is ridiculous."

"James, don't you have bedpans to take care of?" he asked, easily sparring with his favorite nurse. He had a hard time following the man's introduction, but he didn't want to make himself an easy target. "You know I don't pay for my entertainment. I'm just picky."

"Oh is that what you call your abstinent lifestyle?" James mocked, before finally explaining. "There's a guy here asking for you. Says his name is Kendall, but I'm sure you knew that."

"I'm not exactly surprised. Did he ask about Charlie?" he asked, realizing that by using the kid's first name he was confirming his attachment.

"Kinky," James added, still showing his maturity level in every jest. "I'm kidding. He did mention that there was a burn victim he wanted to know the condition of. But you know I can't just give him that information Logan."

"He's the firefighter that brought him in," Logan explained, turning on his shower before removing the last of his clothing. "Couldn't you make an exception?"

"I could," the man started, and Logan was about to thank him, before he finished, "but I haven't gotten to see you embarrass yourself in a while. So instead, I'll tell him you'll be here in half an hour. Make sure to wear something nice."

Before he could argue, the other man hung up, and Logan could only hope he was going to do something productive. Instead, he had a suspicion that sneaky pictures with rude comments would be sent to his phone any moment now. That was just the way James showed affection.

The hot water of the shower worked out some of the knots he'd given himself the night before, both by worrying about the boy, and also collapsing onto his bed into a position that wasn't really suitable for sleeping. Though he thought to put on a clean set of scrubs, he decided that his shift didn't start for a few hours still, and he'd be better off in street clothes.

Packing the scrubs into his backpack, he donned a pair of jeans and his Stanford Medical School t shirt, worn from years of being his favorite shirt. Checking to make sure he was prepared for the long night ahead, he drove to the hospital.

Upon entering the emergency room, he was greeted by James, who towered over the nurses' station, an obvious smirk on his face. Logan greeted him, and the other man shoved a patient's file into his hands. Looking down, he saw that it was Charlie's, and he asked quickly if anything had changed.

"Dr. Patel is with him right now," James answered, still smirking as he referred to the burn specialist, one of the best in the country. "He's still stable. We're doing all we can, but right now it's still a waiting game. Speaking of waiting…"

James glanced past his shoulder, and Logan turned to see a familiar figure flipping through a magazine in the waiting room. Gone was the soot from the night before, and if at all possible Kendall was more attractive, dressed in street clothes and freshly showered. James realized he was blushing before he did, and as he turned back to face the nurse, he was greeted with a smug grin.

"The cafeteria is serving lasagna," he added, before shoving Logan toward the waiting room. Shifting his backpack to his other shoulder, Logan approached the clueless man, who was immersed in what looked like Rolling Stone.

Standing directly in front of him, Logan paused a moment before prompting, "Kendall?"

The man looked up, piercing green eyes catching his before a smile crossed his face. Kendall stood, a head taller than the doctor, and he pulled him into one of those manly bro hugs that Logan had never subscribed to, but with Kendall had no problem accepting.

"Sorry, I didn't recognize you out of uniform," he said, looking Logan over distractedly before taking a step backward.

Logan shrugged, "I could put my coat on if it'd make you more comfortable, but every time I do that when I'm not on the clock, I end up getting caught up by some sort of crises."

"I like you better like this anyway," Kendall added, before realizing how it sounded. "I mean, you're less intimidating like this."

Logan chuckled, and they both saw the humor in finding a white coat and scrubs intimidating when the night before Kendall had been wearing his protective gear from the waist down.

"So, how's Charlie doing?" Kendall finally asked as their laughter died down. "I asked the guy at the nurses' station, but he said it fell under patient confidentiality. Is that true?"

"Technically," Logan answered honestly, stopping to glare at the nurses' station where James was watching them as he pretended to look through patient files. "But in this case it was just James being _difficult_. Personally, I see no problem with telling you what's up."

He made sure to enunciate the word difficult, and James ducked down, still smirking. Turning back to Kendall, he realized that he still held the file James had handed him minutes earlier. Glancing at it, he saw that everything looked good, at least under the circumstances.

"He's still getting a constant flow of morphine to dull the pain, and it looks like his bandages were changed within the last hour. According to James, the burn specialist is in with him as we speak," Logan said, closing the file to see Kendall deep in thought. He shook his head, and opened his mouth to say something, but changed his mind.

But his body language said it for him, and Logan asked, "Do you want to see him?"

"Could I?" the man asked hopefully, and he was glad he'd offered. Technically, only family members were allowed in the ICU, but it was unlikely that anyone would question Kendall if he stayed with him.

The doctor quickly searched his backpack for his white lab coat, which would give him clearance in the crowded halls, and donned it quickly, before leading the taller man to another wing, where they were forced to scrub up to their elbows to prevent infection. Entering the sterile room, he was met by a few nurses, as well as he colleague, who looked from him to Kendall.

"Dr. Patel, I just wanted to see how he was doing," the short Indian man nodded, but looked suspiciously at Kendall, and Logan quickly provided, "Intern."

They both knew that Kendall looked too old to be an intern, but he didn't argue, knowing that the less he knew the better. Immediately he began rattling off medical terms to Logan, who nodded thoughtfully, his expression changing quickly between hope and distress. After being caught up, Logan turned to Kendall and explained quickly, "He's afraid that his legs will be prone to infection, considering that's where the epicenter of his burns are. And if he gets infected…"

Logan trailed off, but Kendall knew what he was saying. Not only could an infection send him into shock, but if it was in his legs there was a chance they'd be forced to amputate. The kid's legs, blistered and swollen, were exposed during the examination, but his shoulders were still bandaged, and when Kendall took a step toward the head of the cot, Logan nodded to give him permission.

Stepping up to the bed, Kendall hesitated before placing his hand on the boy's forehead, tracing down his bandaged cheek before letting his hand rest on a bandaged shoulder, his thumb moving back and forth soothingly. Logan wondered how someone so prone to lifting rafters and debris could be so gentle, and was curious as to how those calloused fingers would feel on his own skin. Looking at the concern in the firefighter's eyes, he compartmentalized his yearning, turning back to the situation at hand.

After discussing Dr. Patel's recommendations, they decided it was time to let the boy rest, and Logan walked over to the blond bent over his patient, gently touching his shoulder blade to pull him from his reverie. Looking up, Logan was caught by the intensity in the man's green eyes, which slowly withdrew into his normal cheerful countenance, and the doctor felt like he'd witnessed a transformation.

Tilting his head toward the door, he led Kendall out into the hallway, leaving the nurses to reapply the boy's bandages. Stalling outside the door, he felt his stomach stir, and realized that he hadn't eaten since before his shift last night. For someone that took such good care of others, he was prone to forgetting about his own needs, and remembered James mentioning lasagna.

"Do you want to get some dinner?" he asked, his stomach speaking for him before his brain could do anything for his wording. Kendall paused, obviously trying to translate his meaning, and Logan added nervously, "Not a date or anything. Just the cafeteria. The special today is lasagna, so…_yum_!"

As words burst from his mouth, he became aware of the way his recovery was only worsening his circumstances, and finally shut up, waiting nervously for an answer that didn't involve running in the opposite direction. Thankfully, Kendall broke into a grin, and confirmed, "I'm starving."

On the way to the cafeteria, they once again passed the nurses' station, where James was still doing anything but work. He caught Logan's eyes, and called out, "Go get some of that lasagna," before mouthing suggestively, "By lasagna I mean ass."

He let Kendall get ahead of him to hide his blush, holding the door for the larger man, who smiled convincingly as they took their places in line. He was easily recognized by the staff, who were used to seeing him due to his inability to feed himself. Sometimes he would come in for dinner just because it was free and didn't come out of a microwave.

Logan led them to a table in the corner, next to the expansive windows that reminded him of an expensive restaurant, though the only view was the campus of the hospital. Between bites, they tried to make conversation, and though Logan felt he was pestering the other man, Kendall showed no signs of annoyance, instead asking personal questions that Logan was all too willing to answer.

"So, do you always work nights?" he asked, chewing on the lasagna that wasn't awful for hospital food.

Logan nodded, "Eleven to five usually. The way I look at it, if I do it, some guy can put his kids to bed at night. I go home to an empty apartment no matter what time I stumble in."

"That's admirable. No girlfriend then?" Kendall asked, and Logan wondered if it was an observation or something more.

After concluding that it was the least flirtatious way to answer the question, he answered, "No boyfriend either."

He was met with a warm smile, as Kendall provided, "Me neither. No boyfriend. Well, no girlfriend either, but…yeah."

So in this facet at least, they were compatible, and Logan willed himself not to blush again, wondering if there was anything in his library of medical literature that would stop his cheeks from getting rosy every time Kendall's eyes were on him.

They spoke until their plates were clean, and nearly an hour afterward. Logan realized the discussion was more personal than he'd gotten with just about anyone since moving to LA for school almost a decade ago. Through their conversation, he found that Kendall was originally from Minnesota, like he was. The similarities were almost eerie, especially considering that they'd lived just as close to each other in Minnesota as they did in Los Angeles. In fact, had Logan's family not moved two towns over in the third grade, they would have attended the same high school.

Soon, the large windows became dark, and Kendall realized that he'd been at the hospital for nearly five hours already, and that he had just enough time to make it to the fire station before his shift started. Logan walked him to the doors of the hospital, before hesitating just inside the doorway.

"Listen, next time you want to visit…just call me or text me. I mean, not that you're not welcome, but if I'm here it will be easier," he said, trying his best not to sound rude.

He caught a glint in those green eyes, as Kendall confirmed, "I'm beginning to see that."

Logan could only wave halfheartedly as the blond figure walked out the sliding doors, and he walked dazedly back to the nurses' station, where James was waiting, a grin on his face. He looked like he'd been sitting on something, and Logan finally asked him impatiently, "Well, what did you think?"

James leaned over the desk, his lips so close to Logan's ear that he could feel the man's warm breath on his cheek, and he would consider it flirtatious if it wasn't James and this wasn't his normal behavior, but he couldn't help but blush when James finally whispered the three words he'd been dying to say, "Logan, I say this as your friend. _Get. It. In._"


	3. Chapter 3

_So, some news that may affect avid readers of this story. My computer had to go the doctor, who is not nearly as capable as Doctor Mitchell, so I will be borrowing for the next few weeks, which may alter my update schedule a tad. Hopefully, it'll be fixed soon, but until then I don't want your sass._

**- Three -**

Logan had to admit that his mind was elsewhere as he treated the college student who had taking binge drinking to an extreme, and was currently having his stomach pumped to prevent alcohol poisoning. One of his buddies was sleeping off his own indulgence in the waiting room, making inhuman sounds that scared some of the meeker patients.

This guy deserved to be here. He deserved the awful feeling of waking up after having to regurgitate your own stupidity. He deserved the hospital gown that left his ass exposed to the public, including his friend who had been just coherent enough to take a picture. And he also deserved the awkward explanation he'd have to give his parents when they saw the charge to their health insurance.

The kid down that hall did not. He'd done everything right. He'd stayed low to the ground, trying to crawl his way out of the basement apartment, and when overwhelmed, he covered his face to protect his eyes. His circumstances were out of his control, and he deserved Logan's attention, whereas this guy deserved a swift kick in the ass.

After being sure the guy would be fine, he left a resident to supervise, before doing what he had for the last few nights, creeping down to check on Charlie, who was still stable. The problem with being stable was that he also wasn't progressing, and if anything, there was still concern his legs would get infected.

He picked up the clipboard to read the boy's chart, though by now he had it memorized, before replacing it on the hook at the foot of his bed and doing something he did from time to time. He tiptoed over to the side of the bed and took the seat usually reserved for close friends and relatives, neither of which Charlie had. The young doctor insisted on spending time near him, knowing that it was possible to sense the presence of someone else while in a coma, and that apart from his nurses there was nobody to hold his hand and tell him he was going to be alright, whether he could hear it or not.

His hand was light, even with innumerable layers of bandages wrapping the blistered tissue, and Logan held it gingerly, knowing that pressing too hard could hurt him, even with morphine dripping into his body constantly. He took a deep breath, trying hard not to cry as he stared at the only exposed feature of the boy, who resembled a mummy at this stage in his treatment.

An examination of his pupils had revealed a pair of glossy hazel eyes, which were now closed in medicated slumber. Though his scalp was singed, there were traces of dark hair, which had once been long, but had been shaved to help him heal. Across his tan cheeks there was a spattering of tiny freckles, and Logan could only imagine the way he must have looked when he smiled, and vowed that he would soon make it reality.

Some nights he spoke to the kid, just the weather and how he was doing, and how Logan honestly believed that he would get better. Tonight, he wasn't up to convincing both of them that this much was true, and instead checked to make sure they were alone before quietly singing the chorus to a song that reminded him so much of Charlie, "_Give em hell, turn their heads, gonna live life 'til we're dead. Give me scars, give me pain, then they'll say to me, say to me, say to me, there goes the fighter, there goes the fighter…here comes the fighter, that's what they'll say to me, say to me, say to me, this one's a fighter._"

"You've got quite the voice," he heard from behind him, and he turned to see a tall figure in the doorway, usual smirk subdued as he came toward the bed.

Logan turned back to his patient, "I thought you weren't on nights anymore?"

"It's true that while I do my best work at night, I tend to do it outside of these sanitary walls," James said, motioning to the walls, before shrugging, "I'm covering for Bridget. Thought I'd actually get some work done for once."

Logan rolled his eyes, continuing to stroke Charlie's arm, avoiding the tubes and wires that stuck out of his bandages. James went around to the other side, reaching for the other hand, "You know, I check on him too. I've even changed his bandages a couple times. It's not good…"

A pair of dark eyes glared at him and he shut up, before attempting to penetrate Logan's emotions, usually so withdrawn, "You know he's not out of the woods yet. Don't let this become one of those cases that haunt you."

"It already does," he admitted. He never bothered lying to James, who though immature and cocky, was actually a pretty good listener, and had kept Logan under his wing since he'd started his residency. Originally he'd hit on him, but the result had been miserable at best. Ever since they'd been flirty but platonic best friends and James was probably the only one he was willing to show the depth of his investment in this case.

James came around the other side of the bed, standing behind Logan and giving him his signature massage, which was more than needed by the doctor's knotted shoulders. Leaning back into his friend's capable hands, the doctor sighed, realizing just how distracting his feelings for his patient were getting.

Though he was equally if not more distracted by another person he'd met only days ago, and he could tell that James was interested in the state of that relationship as well. Well, a relationship it was not. At the moment it mostly consisted of concerned reports on Charlie's condition, and sleepy texts after long shifts. Kendall was beginning to sound like his mother with all the warnings to rest, as though his state of mind affected Kendall's.

Nudging James's hands off of his shoulders, Logan stood, taking one last look at the small body attached to innumerable wires, before leading the nurse out of the room and into the break room. He'd never been much of a coffee drinker until he started his residency, but after years of working nights it had become one of his worst addictions, along with working in general.

Pouring two cups of moderately warm black coffee, he handed one of them to James, who smirked, signaling the start of his social call. It was like a shade had gone down on the deep sensitive James that had stood by him as he watched over Charlie, and had been replaced with his normal impish self. Though he'd never admit it, it was one of his favorite things about James.

"So, tomorrow's Friday. Your night off. Any big plans?" he observed, both of them recognizing his loaded question.

Logan rolled his eyes at the lack of subtlety, "I haven't heard from Kendall if that's what you're asking. I haven't even seen him since that night he came to visit Charlie."

"That was only a few days ago Logan," James reminded him, and Logan flushed a little bit.

"It seems like longer," he admitted, and James shook his head knowingly.

He thought for a moment before raising the mug to his lips, trying to hide the smug look on his face, as he added, "Well, did I mention he came by yesterday?"

The doctor choked, losing whatever sense of dignity he had concerning James and his personal life, and he couldn't help but ask, "Was he?"

"He asked about you," James started, before admitting. "And Charlie. He was here to see Charlie, but when he recognized me he wanted to explain why he hadn't consulted you like he said he would. He didn't want to bother you, what with all those long hours you work. He doesn't know how you do it."

"He spends his nights fighting fires and he wonders how I do it?" Logan praised, finishing off his coffee with a final swig.

James shrugged, "Well, they do sleep at the firehouse, I guess. I mean, they can't spend the whole night going up and down the pole."

"You were grasping for that one," Logan observed, though he smiled.

James stuck his tongue out childishly, "Just like you're grasping for his pole?"

He rolled his eyes again, before bringing them back around, "Did you say anything embarrassing? See, I phrased it as a question, but I know you said something embarrassing, so out with it."

"I may have mentioned that you didn't have plans for Friday. And that you're in somewhat of a dry spell," he answered with a shrug.

Logan began to blush before begging, "You didn't."

"I didn't," James said, smiling, before he winked. "Mention the dry spell, that is. But I totally insinuated that he needed to ask you out. I couldn't help myself."

"I would think you'd be more inclined to claim him for yourself?" Logan asked, only half joking.

James smirked, "It's useless. You should have seen the way he blushed when I started talking about you. I've never seen a grown man blush like that; apart from you, that is."

"And on that note, I think I need to get back to work," Logan stood, trying to hide the coloring of his cheeks. "Are you coming with me?"

"Nah," the taller man answered as he stood, walking over to the coffee machine. "Mr. Lovell needs a sponge bath and I hope if I disappear long enough, I won't be the one giving it to him. He keeps trying to pinch my ass, horny old man."

"Your ass is kind of irresistible," he teased, pinching James through his scrubs as he skulked off back to work.

Once he was out of James's line of vision though, Logan had a hard time not thinking about their conversation. James had been known to embellish his stories, or outright lie for the sake of making him blush, but he seemed relatively serious about his conversation with Kendall. Before Logan could stop himself, he pulled out his cell phone and sent a quick text to the man in question, overriding his own nerves, "_Rescued any trapped kittens lately_?"

He regretted his words immediately, not because he'd sent them, but because he immediately pictured Kendall up a ladder with a kitten safely in his arms, the stark contrast of his strength with his gentleness, which Logan had already seen in regards to Charlie.

Thankfully, he was distracted with a response, "_It's three in the morning. Unless there's an outbreak of vampire cats I haven't heard about, I leave that kind of stuff to the day guys. How about you? Busy night?_"

The doctor smiled, not expecting an immediate response. His eyes scanned the emergency room, where things were pretty calm. Even Dr. Benson was bent over the desk at the nurses' station, conversing with some of the older night nurses. He texted him back, "_The most action we've gotten all night was Mr. Lovell pinching James's ass. It's slower than molasses around here_."

Though he expected another text, instead his phone began buzzing, and his heart stopped for a moment before he accepted the phone call.

"Are you allowed to answer personal calls at work?" were the first words out of his mouth, and Logan looked around to see that nobody was looking in his direction.

He shook his head as he answered, "We're not…not allowed to. I've just never had cause to."

"Well that's going to change," he announced, and Logan consciously had to keep his dimples from showing. "It's not often I meet someone that has my schedule. Or understands the concept of not being allowed to complain about slow nights because it means all is right with the world."

His face twisted pensively, because in all his years of experience, he'd never thought of it that way. After all, he could count on one hand the people he was close enough to complain to. "Well I'm glad the world is at peace for a few moments, but I'm going to fall asleep standing up."

"I have the opposite problem," Kendall confided. "I'm upstairs at the firehouse, lying in a bunk, and for the life of me I can't get to sleep. I've counted every ceiling tile twice."

"Do you need me to sing you to sleep?" he offered, before cringing and slamming his hand into a nearby wall. "Please disregard my previous statement. I need more coffee."

He heard a chuckle at the other end, but without the mocking tone he expected. Instead, the warm voice answered, "I will keep that in mind."

Logan had a feeling he didn't mean his coffee addiction. Inwardly groaning, he changed the subject, "I just checked on Charlie. He's…resting."

"I don't like the sound of that," Kendall admitted, but he didn't sound surprised.

Logan ran over the boy's file in his head, "We're still trying to fight the infection in his legs, but his vital signs seem normal. Soon we'll have to start with the skin transplants, but we have to see how his legs do first."

"He can do it," Kendall assured them both, though neither could really know. "I actually meant to talk to you about something. When I was at the hospital yesterday, I ran into his social worker."

"James told me you'd been here," he added, not quite thinking about the implications.

There was a pause before Kendall asked, "You and James talk about me?"

Logan cleared his through, fully aware that he was blushing, before he asked, "So you talked to the social worker?"

Kendall ignored the sidebar, and Logan could imagine that he was smiling, as he continued, "She said that Charlie's mom is being buried tomorrow, and James mentioned that it was your day off. I know it's kind of strange but…she doesn't have anyone."

"And you don't like the idea of her being buried without ceremony," he finished. Though he only knew the bare minimum about Marissa Evans, by everything he'd heard from the social worker, she'd been trying to do right by her son. They were just above the poverty line, but only because she'd left Charlie's dad after he became abusive. Like Charlie, she was doing everything right. Hopefully, his story would end differently.

"When Charlie gets older, I don't want him to feel bad because he couldn't be there for her. I want to be able to tell him that somebody said a prayer and she wasn't forgotten," Kendall said, sounding almost angry at the circumstances.

"What time is the burial?" he asked, ducking into a room as a nurse came toward him, probably to assign him a patient, but Dr. Benson was still free and hopefully she would continue toward him.

"It's tomorrow at one o'clock. I can pick you up at noon if you want. Give me your address?" he could hear rustling on the other end of the line as he struggled to find something to write on.

"I'll text it to you," he promised, and the rustling stopped. "Listen, I should get back to work, and you should get some sleep. But I'll be ready at noon tomorrow. Goodnight Kendall."

"Goodnight Logan," he answered, punctuated with a yawn. Logan smiled as he realized that their conversation had been just what he needed to get to sleep, though he wished he could do the same. Instead he finally looked up, nearly screaming at the tall figure in front of him.

"_Shit_, James. Where the hell did you come from?" he asked, stumbling backward and into the wall behind him. Even in the dark room, James's glaring white smile was visible.

"You're not supposed to take personal calls at work," he mocked, but his motives were clear. "Was that Kendall?"

"Who else would call at three in the morning?" he asked, before trying to turn out into the hallway. He was blocked by an arm resting across the doorway at head level.

James leaned forward, one of his favorite interrogation methods, "Oh, one of _those_ calls."

"Not everyone spends their life trying to get off, James," he said, rolling his eyes before ducking under the obtrusive arm as James followed him down the hallway.

His long legs kept him half a step behind, and the taller man leaned forward to whisper, "That's because everyone else is doing it wrong."

Logan spun around to face his friend, coming nose to nose with him as James made no effort to remove his cocky smirk, "Just say it James. I need to get back to work before they write me up."

"I just want to know if he asked you out. What I caught at the end sounded promising," he said, dissolving a little into a less aggravating form.

Logan shrugged, "He's picking me up to go to the funeral for Charlie's mom. That's hardly a date."

"But it is something," James added optimistically. Logan had to agree. It was definitely something.


	4. Chapter 4

_So now that I'm on a computer, I'm actually able update, so I'm going to do that because you guys are nice and your reviews are awesome. I hope you like this chapter._

**- Four -**

Logan Mitchell had never been great about dressing himself. When he was in college, he was more likely to arrive to class in what he'd slept in than not. Besides, his social schedule left few occasions that would require him to dress formally. Sure there was a benefit for the hospital every year, where he was forced to mingle with possible donors, one of the youngest and most qualified doctors at the hospital, and sure he'd been to a wedding or two. After all, his bachelorhood was becoming more of a rarity with age, and he'd taken to sending a gift and an excuse for many of his acquaintances big affairs.

He owned one suit, a nice one that James had helped him pick out, which had cost him half a week's worth of salary. But James had been insistent, arguing that if he was only going to wear one suit, it had to be suitable for all occasions. The same suit he'd worn to the benefit a few months ago would look perfectly fine at the graveside memorial for Charlie's mom.

Opening a drawer, he found his small collection of ties, another suggestion from James, so the suit could be changed, if only a little. Today he chose a sobering steel, the same calming color that was on his walls, and fit it around his collar after three tries.

Logan had never been good at funerals. Though his career made death an ever-present occurrence, his intention was to save lives, and as such he tried his best to repress his feelings for the dead. It was easy enough at the hospital, where every person that was led to the morgue was matched with a child brought into the world only a few floors above, but cemeteries were another thing.

He remembered the holidays when his mother would drag him to the cemetery to visit his grandparents, people he'd never met and only knew as a cold slab of granite. Though he honored the tradition of placing flowers on their graves, he also wondered why it was necessary, when his beliefs proclaimed that his grandparents were no longer attached to their earthly bodies.

But it was still a tradition that needed to be honored, and he agreed with Kendall when it came to Marissa Evans. From everything he'd heard, she was alone in the world apart from Charlie. He'd heard of plenty of mothers that had sacrificed the well-being of their children for the father's love, or even a new boyfriend, but she'd fought for Charlie, secluding herself from her past in the process. She must have been strong. If only she'd been strong enough to survive the blaze. But if nothing else, she deserved a dignified burial.

Looking at the clock on the wall, he found that it was finally near the time Kendall had specified. Though he'd intended to sleep most of the morning, he was instead distracted by the thought of spending a day with Kendall. It wasn't exactly the itinerary he would have hoped for, but their schedules had kept them from spending time together.

He didn't want to think too far into what they had, but even James thought there was something there. Though he'd been known to embellish, he wouldn't be egging him on if he didn't have a decent chance. And Logan remembered the look in those green eyes, which calmed his doubts. Kendall definitely saw something in him, though what it was Logan hardly knew. Another thing he wasn't sure of was the status of this day together. By the checklist of dating etiquette, today's plans might be considered a date, but if it was, it was going to be one of the least memorable first dates of his life. But he also felt that Kendall was more honorable than that, and wouldn't want to distract from the true meaning of the day, which was meant to be a tribute to a young woman who had been taken too soon.

He made a note to observe the other man's behavior, which would signal exactly what he meant by his invitation, before straightening his jacket one last time. Collecting his wallet and keys off the counter, he went to the refrigerator to collect the flowers he'd bought on his way home the night before. He'd made sure that they weren't the cheapest available, but he also had a hard time rationalizing buying a dozen roses for a woman who would never see them. He wondered the last time Marissa Evans had been bought a dozen roses, and almost wanted to return his cheap bouquet of dyed carnations.

He almost jumped as he was pulled out of his thoughts by the sound of the buzzer near the doorway, and he wondered quickly whether Kendall had the intention of coming up. To be safe, he buzzed him in, and within a few moments the blond was standing at his door. He was caught off guard by how well the suit fit his tall frame, and how even his demurred smirk lit up his whole face. He would never stop wondering how one person could be so attractive.

"For me?" he teased, glancing at the bouquet in Logan's hand, but his face showed that he was only joking. "We have a few minutes, so I thought I would come up. I left mine in the car."

Logan moved aside to let him in, immediately wondering why he hadn't thought to clean up better. His place wasn't messy per se, but there were books scattered across his end tables, and his dishes were clean but not put away. He'd gotten so comfortable with the fact nobody actually saw his apartment that it'd become more practical than aesthetically pleasing. Were Kendall to glance into his bedroom, he'd find the bed unmade, his scrubs from the night before on the floor.

"It's not much, but it's home," he announced as Kendall roamed the main room, which wasn't very large, taking in each personal touch Logan had allowed in the almost sterile design. With much of his time spent at the hospital, his décor was reminiscent of the white and gray halls he walked every evening. Still, he allowed himself some personal touches, including the pictures of his family back in Minnesota, who he hadn't visited in years. His diploma hung behind the TV, placing his proudest achievement in a place where he could see it nearly every day.

Kendall looked up from his bookcase after running his fingers along the spines, reading the titles in hopes of finding something familiar, and smiled warmly, "I hope it's not presumptuous for me to say that your apartment is very you."

"Boring and impersonal?" he tried, but Kendall shook his head as he turned again to face the shorter man.

He smiled, his dimples showing, as he answered, "Calming, safe. The place screams doctor committed to his purpose. I've never seen so many bookmarks in my life, but I'm sure that each one is a patient that deserved extra attention. Just like Charlie."

Logan glanced to the book on his end table just as Kendall saw it, noticing that it specified burn care and was full of post it notes and highlighter marks. This was the state of his free time, and it showcased his self-diagnosed work addiction. But the way Kendall spun it, he sounded dedicated rather than frazzled, and he was thankful.

"Speaking of Charlie, I don't want to be late for the ceremony. I'm afraid that if nobody shows up they'll bury her just to get it over with," Logan said, aware that this was more likely than not.

Kendall shook his head, "The social worker, Ellen if I remember correctly, said she'd be there, and I called in a favor from my chaplain. When I explained the circumstances, he agreed to come say a few words."

"You're a really great guy," Logan mused aloud, before he could think to stop himself. He didn't even realize he'd said it until Kendall began to smile again, breaking through the morose mask he'd taken up moments earlier.

"I try," he admitted, before taking one last look around the apartment. "But I guess you're right. If you're all set, we should probably get going."

Logan nodded, before leading them out, pausing at the step to his building as he realized that he didn't know what car Kendall drove. As he paused, Kendall chuckled, before stepping ahead of him and leading him to the passenger side of a black Mustang. As his eyes roamed the vehicle in approval, Kendall answered, "A birthday present to myself. I felt I earned it."

Opening the door, he found a bouquet of roses on the passenger seat, which Kendall quickly moved to make room for him. Thinking of his earlier guilt, Logan smiled, knowing that now Charlie's mom would get the flowers she deserved.

Arriving at the site, they each took their flowers before walking over to the grave. She was being buried in the part of the cemetery marked for those who couldn't afford a plot, buried in plain pine box. The services for this kind of burial were few, and the four people standing around the hole in the ground were greeted by the site of a bulldozer and a two man crew, who would have been obscured if she could have afforded her own plot. The marker would be a stone with a few numbers on it, not even a name to remember the woman that lay here.

Kendall greeted the social worker and chaplain warmly, and Logan could tell that he was one of those people that could make friends with anyone. It was just his nature. Standing back a little, Logan waited to be introduced, smiling as Ellen recognized him and reintroduced herself. She was a middle aged woman with warm brown eyes to match her dark skin, and Logan could easily see how she brought comfort to distraught children. Next he was introduced to the chaplain, Father Harry Reed, who looked vaguely like the priest from M*A*S*H, which he caught every so often in reruns. As the workers prompted them to start, the priest pulled out a sash, which he hung around his neck before starting.

It was a quick prayer, and since Logan wasn't Catholic, he found it hard to follow. But Kendall said the words under his breath, pulling a pendant out from under his shirt and holding it as he closed his eyes in prayer. As the service broke into what Logan recognized as a common graveside prayer, he closed his own eyes, mouthing along to the familiar passage, "Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me."

He hoped that somewhere, Marissa Evans was looking down, protecting her son and seeing how he'd affected the two men at her graveside. He hoped that she was safe and happy once again, and he hoped that she had found her place in the afterlife. Releasing a single tear, Logan uttered an amen before the workers began dumping six feet of dirt over the simple casket. They all stood in silence until the grave was filled, the marker placed in the loose dirt that littered the ground. In turn, he and Kendall both placed their flowers on the dirt, and he observed Kendall as he crossed himself slowly, before pulling back.

He saw on the other man's face that as well as his face showed happiness, it showed sadness as well, and Kendall was truly distraught by the circumstances. As they left the graveside, Logan put a reassuring hand on the taller man's shoulder, green eyes seeing him for the first time in ages.

"Do you want to get a drink?" he asked, his voice quiet and unmistakably broken. Logan paused for a moment, remembering what time it was.

He hesitated to alert Kendall, "You do know it's not even two o'clock yet?"

"What are you, my doctor?" the taller man teased, one side of his mouth curling into a smile, before he pleaded. "Just one drink. I'm not good at funerals."

Logan didn't want to delve into the issue out in the open, especially when their setting was full of monuments to those who had long passed away; not exactly the premier venue to talk about why he was no good at funerals. Instead he nodded, and Kendall drove them to a nearby bar, which neither of them had been to. It was nearly empty due to the time of day, but the placards on the table advertised food, and Logan ordered food to counteract the alcohol.

It was unnecessary, because Kendall was a responsible driver, and ordered only one shot, chasing it with a glass of water. Logan ordered a gin and tonic and an order of fries to share. While they waited for the food to arrive, Kendall downed his shot as Logan sipped at his drink.

They sat in silence for a moment, before Kendall prompted, "I know you want to ask. I can see it in your eyes."

Logan wanted to argue, but instead started quietly, "Okay. Why do hate funerals? I mean, nobody likes them, but you look sick to the stomach."

"My father died last year," he answered, staring at the empty glass in his hands. When Logan tried to give his condolences, Kendall only raised a hand to stop him. "He wasn't present in my life. I hadn't seen him since I was a kid. But now that he's gone…I don't know, I guess I always thought that maybe one day I could have a relationship with him. Like, maybe he'd better be a better grandpa than he was a father. But now I'll never know."

"Now I can see why you don't like them," he said, before calmly changing the subject, noting that the conversation was doing nothing to improve Kendall's emotional balance. "Well what about the rest of your family? How about your mom?"

"She's great," he said, immediately perking up. Logan caught a trace of awareness and thanks in Kendall's expression, and knew that he was just as relieved to change the subject. "My sister Katie just got married last year. I thought she was a little young, but she and her husband are very happy. Anytime I'm expecting to add uncle to my resume."

"You love kids don't you?" Logan asked, having made the observation the moment he saw Kendall with Charlie. "I mean, it's not just Charlie. You have a soft spot for kids."

He nodded, unable to argue such an obvious point, "We have this day once a year where kids can come to the firehouse. We bring out the fire hoses and pull the trucks out into the driveway. A lot of the guys, they're not made for that kind of stuff. They'd rather wait around for some action. But that is the action for me. I look forward to that day every year."

"So you're not in it for the action?" Logan wondered aloud. It was slightly surprising to him that Kendall would choose the career he was in. He seemed intelligent enough to do just about anything, but instead he did a job that was considered community service in some major cities.

Kendall paused, a smirk crossing his face, as he reached for the glass of water that had gone untouched until now, "If you're waiting for me to say that I grew up dreaming I'd fight fires like one of the Rescue Heroes, you probably shouldn't hold your breath."

"So why did you become a firefighter?" Logan asked, more intrigued that he would have expected. After all, his path to medical school had been laid since birth, and he was no longer sure whether the choice had been his or his parents'.

"Well, see, my friend Carlos was one of those kids," he started nervously, not in practice sharing this kind of thing with others. "His dad was a cop, so he'd always wanted to go into public service, but he had so much energy that he thought his talent would be better put to use in the fire department. Anyway, I met Carlos in college where we were both playing hockey. That was my dream. I wanted to play professionally. But in my fourth year, I tore a ligament in my knee. It's not enough to hamper me, but it was enough to keep me from ever playing in the NHL."

"I'm sorry," he said, knowing many patients who had gone through the same heartbreak, but Kendall shrugged and continued.

"I left college with a bullshit major and a shattered dream, so when Carlos suggested I follow him into the big leagues, I jumped at the chance. It's probably the best decision I've ever made."

"Do you ever regret it?" he asked, and Kendall paused a moment to think.

"You know, around play-offs I get a little bitter, but I know what I'm doing is worthwhile. You don't exactly save lives by hitting goals."

Logan paused a moment, before rethinking his explanation and asking, "What was your major?"

"I told you, I was going to play hockey," he tried, groaning before admitting, "I graduated with a degree in English, okay?"

He smiled, trying to hide his amusement. After all, he'd spent four years as an undergrad mocking anyone in the liberal arts college, and here was Kendall in front of him, an _English_ major.

"I could see you as an English teacher," he consoled. "Forcing teenagers to read _The Scarlet Letter_ until their eyes bled. Beating them upside the head with _The Crucible_."

"You have a thing for Puritans," he commented, before adding. "I could never do that. Kids I love, teenagers are another story. And even I don't want to read about Hester Prynne and her scandals."

Logan chuckled, remembering his own experience with Nathaniel Hawthorne's most popular novel, and understanding why Kendall would have chosen another path. After seeing the way he'd comforted Charlie, Logan had no doubt that he'd picked the right field. Now that he'd thought about his bedridden patient, he couldn't stop thinking about him, and when Kendall noticed his distraction he guessed what it was.

"Do you think we could visit him before I take you home?" he asked, sounding just as needy as Logan felt. He smiled, affirming the suggestion, before they paid their separate tabs and left the bar.

On the way to the hospital, the mood was jovial. One of Kendall's favorite songs came on, and he made a show of singing along to the radio, which caused Logan to laugh before joining in. The mood sobered only slightly as they entered the hospital, where Logan reminded Kendall that he'd been there only hours before and he could assume that nothing had changed.

Walking up to the nurse's station, they found James, who nodded to Kendall before turning to Logan, "I was hoping you'd make your way here."

"I bet you were," he whispered, hoping Kendall couldn't hear, until he saw that James was serious, his face drawn into a mask of professionalism. "James, what's wrong?"

"Dr. Patel is with Charlie. He's taken a turn. His legs…" James started, and before he could finish Logan had turned toward the hallway that would take him to the ICU.

Quickly, he remembered that Kendall was behind him, and asked James to keep him company, before stopping only long enough to grab his spare lab coat from his locker. Entering the room as he'd done so many times before, he found Dr. Patel flanked by two nurses, and he noted the swollen purple flesh exposed below Charlie's knees.

The older doctor turned to debrief him, but what he had to say was plain to distinguish. Infection had set in, which turned Charlie's slow healing into a fight for his life, and they were nearly helpless to stop it. What they'd all dreaded had finally come true, and Logan prayed again that Marissa Evans was watching over her son.


	5. Chapter 5

_So guys, it's been a little while hasn't it? I get tired of making excuses for my absence, but the fact you guys get idgy when I don't update for a while is kind of inspiring, so I have no trouble giving you one now. I hope the way I ended the last chapter didn't kill you, and I hope this chapter makes up for it at least a little. It turned out a little shorter than I'd like, but maybe that'll mean a quick update._

**- Five –**

After hours of consulting with Dr. Patel, Logan had to withdraw from the room, beginning to feel the effects of working on very little sleep. He technically wasn't on the clock, but his conscience wouldn't let him leave Charlie, not when the little boy was sick with very, his chest about to collapse with labored breathing. Instead he left with the intention of dosing up on caffeine only to return in a few minutes to continue monitoring the situation.

On his way to the break room, he passed the nurses' station, where James was waving him over. Handing him his own mug of coffee, he asked Charlie's condition before motioning toward the waiting room.

In all the chaos, Logan forgot that he hadn't arrived alone. For a moment, he found it amusing that for the first time in weeks he had actually forgotten about Kendall. An outside observer would think the man looked bored, thumbing through a magazine in the waiting room, but Logan was becoming very observant of his movements and noticed the tenseness of his muscles and the wrinkle between his eyebrows that showed his concern.

Approaching the distracted man, he sat next to him, glad for a few moments of rest. Kendall glanced at him, sensing the oncoming exhaustion, and let the shorter man lean against his arm as he spoke. The contact would usually have awoken Logan's senses, but today only made him more tired, and he took another swig of the bitter liquid.

"James already told me what he knew," Kendall started. "But he hasn't been in there. What's going on Doc?"

Logan caught the allusion to his professional life, separate from his personal life in all ways but this one, and took a deep breath before explaining, "Infection is most prominent in the very young and the very old, and we'd hoped he was out of the danger zone, but we were wrong. All we can do now is dope him up on antibiotics and wait for the fever to break. If he makes the night, he should be fine. But it's still early yet."

"It sounds like there's not a lot you can do," Kendall said darkly, and Logan could see that his hope was running low.

"Medically, no," he confirmed, but tried to comfort him, "But as long as his body fights and fights hard he will make it. I just wish…"

He stopped, unsure of his request, but Kendall's eyes urged him to go on.

"Well, it's fairly common knowledge that coma patients can still feel the presence of someone at their bedside. And sometimes they even hear the people who come to visit them. And as much as I try, I can't be there for him all night. I'm hoping to get my shift switched to tonight so I can sleep through tomorrow and keep tabs on Charlie until the fever breaks. But that means that I can only be in to check on him maybe once an hour," he explained regretfully. "But it's my opinion that having somebody near him will help pull through."

"It's my night off," Kendall offered, hoping Logan would go on, and when he didn't he added, "I wouldn't mind sitting with him. He's come too far to let go now."

"I was hoping you'd say that," Logan said, giving his first genuine smile since he'd been updated on Charlie's condition.

Kendall stood, and Logan followed, giving instructions, "His bandages are off because of the swelling. I say that to warn you for what you're about to see, but also because we're trying to keep the environment sterile. I have an extra set of scrubs that should fit you. This is pretty much entirely against hospital policy, but my duty is to my patients, so if anyone asks who you are, just say you're my intern. If they make a fuss, tell James to find me."

Corralling the larger man into the locker room, he rifled through his locker, which was cluttered and unkempt, unlike his apartment. Pulling out a pair of scrubs that he'd intentionally bought too large, he handed them to Kendall, who started stripping before Logan could stop him. After catching a glimpse of toned tan skin, he turned to avoid embarrassment.

Shoving Kendall's clothes into his locker, he led him down the hall and into Charlie's room, where he heard a sharp intake of breath from beside him. It was unprofessional of him, but he reached down to squeeze Kendall's hand, and the larger man squeezed back. It was a lot to take in.

His skin was almost entirely a gruesome red, peeling and revealing muscle in places, and was blackened in some of the worse areas. He refused to tell Kendall that this was after nearly a week of healing and constant care, and had been much worse when he was brought in. His legs were a sickening purple, from where the infection had taken root. The effect was heartbreaking, especially when the boy was sweating from every pore, whimpering a little from the fever.

Surely using more courage than he'd ever mustered during a fire, Kendall closed the distance between himself and the bed, pulling up a chair, before carefully lifting a small hand. The back of the hand was still blistered beyond recognition from when Charlie had protected his face during the blaze, but the palm was still a soft white and he gently ran his fingers over the creases. Logan watched dazedly for a moment, before realizing that he was staring.

Glancing at the clock, he saw that it was much later than he'd thought, nearly an hour to his usual shift, and to get it switched he'd have to get ahold of another doctor. He felt bad leaving Charlie, but saw that he was perfect safe in Kendall's care. Putting a hand on Kendall's shoulder, he found that the green eyes were sparkling with tears, and he wanted to make both of them better, his instinct getting the better of him. Choking back his own concern, he cleared his throat.

"If something happens that doesn't seem right, push the button over there," he directed, motioning to a clearly marked button behind Charlie's bed. "I'm going to be in to check on you guys as often as I can, but Friday nights are always a little busy so I'm not sure when. Are you sure you'll be okay in here?"

Kendall nodded slowly, before a look of recognition dawned on his face, "You should have them get ahold of Ellen. She's his caseworker. She needs to know what's happening."

Logan made a note to alert the nurses' station, before reminding him one last time, "There should be nurses in here to check on him every few minutes. Just stay with him. Talk to him. Sometimes I even sing to him."

Kendall smiled, and he had to remind himself to stop admitting one of his deepest secrets, though he found he couldn't keep it to himself with Kendall around, "But again, you didn't hear that."

Nodding, Kendall asked quickly, "Well if you did sing to him, what song would it be?"

"'The Fighter'," he confirmed quietly, taking one last look at his patient before forcing himself to walk away. He could feel a pull back to the room, but resisted, making it all the way to the nurses' station, where James was waiting for him, dressed in street clothes.

"Are you off for the night?" he asked quickly, reaching for the duty schedule to see which doctors were on duty tonight. Reaching for the phone he began to dial, but listened to what James had to say as the phone rang.

"Technically I was off an hour ago," he admitted. "But I'm really worried about the kid. Is Kendall with him?"

Logan nodded as he explained the situation to the other doctor, who confirmed that he would rather work the next night anyway, and that he understood why Logan was unwilling to leave. Every doctor had a case like this, and the older doctor wished him and his patient the best before hanging up.

"Listen, I want you to let me know what happens. I don't care if the fever breaks at four in the morning. I want to know. Hell, I doubt I'll be able to sleep until I know," James said, running a hand distractedly through his long hair.

Logan smiled consolingly, "He got to you to, huh? I'll let you know. Hey, can you make a note for someone to contact his caseworker? Make sure they mention that Kendall is with him. From what I can tell, she trusts him."

"He seems to have that effect on people," James praised, adding, "You really got lucky with him Logan."

"I haven't gotten anything with him yet, and tonight I'd rather use my luck on that kid. Can you make that note?" he answered quickly, trying not to admit that James was right.

"I'll call her myself," he conceded, ducking behind the desk and searching for the proper file. "But Logan, you need to get your head together. I know it's hard, but you have other patients, and you need to remember that their health is as important as Charlie's."

"I know that James," he said, trying to hide his annoyance.

"I know Logan, I just thought you needed a reminder," he answered, his eyes apologetic. "After I place this call I'm going home. Good luck."

Logan nodded, quickly changing his shift on the schedule, before marching off the ER, where he would have a long night of menial cases. He diagnosed no fewer than twelve viruses, pumped two stomachs, laced up four sets of stitches, and set one broken bone. Each patient reminded him a little more of the boy down the hall, and he took off every forty-five minutes to check on both of them. Kendall looked more tired with every check-up, but he soldiered on, unwilling to fall asleep on his watch.

Once, he'd walked in on Kendall, his head obviously bent in prayer, and he had once again pulled out the gold chain that hung around his neck. The pendant, which was indistinguishable from this distance, was pressed to his lips as he whispered under his breath. Logan made note to ask him later, before backing out of the room and promising to himself that he'd come back in a few minutes as not to interrupt what he imagined was an Our Father.

Saying his own silent prayer, he'd run through the motions of his job the rest of the night, and the sun was inevitably rising when he was finally paged. Finding Kendall at the doorway, pacing the hallway, he entered to find the doctor usually assigned to the ICU bent over Charlie, a smile on his face.

"Dr. Mitchell," his colleague turned, shaking his hand as if he were a proud father. "The fever broke. He's out of the woods."

Logan sighed with relief and exhaustion, the intensity of what they'd all gone through finally hitting him. Calling Kendall back into the room, he informed him of the circumstances, and Kendall excitedly wrapped long arms around him. He curled into the embrace, letting go of the stress and worry he'd experienced that night, and Kendall ducked his head into the curve of the smaller man's neck, smile pressed to his temple.

Pulling away, he chuckled; still holding onto Kendall's toned arms. While they were both overjoyed, they were both obviously suffering signs of exhaustion. He didn't want to leave Charlie, but they were both running on empty, and his shift was very nearly over. Thankfully, Ellen walked in, concern all over her wrinkled face.

"I got the message when I woke up this morning and came right over. Is he okay?" she asked, her voice panic-stricken.

Kendall took over, calming her, like he was so good at it, explaining that Charlie had pulled through thanks to Logan. Logan took the praise lightly, considering that it had mostly been the work of antibodies and antibiotics, but had no trouble taking the hug Ellen gave him. Leaving Charlie in her caring hands, he pulled Kendall to the locker room, shoving his clothes to him before insisting he drive them home.

"I don't live far," he encouraged. "You shouldn't be driving like this, but I can't stay here any longer. When we get to my place, you can take my couch. I wish I had something better, but I'm not letting you drive home when you can barely keep your eyes open."

Kendall didn't argue with their circumstances, digging through the pile to find his keys as they got to his car. Driving the mile to Logan's apartment building, he commented on the comfort of scrubs, which Logan attested to.

Entering the apartment, Logan quickly went to his bedroom to retrieve linens, but when he returned Kendall was already curled up on his couch, fast asleep. Laying the blanket over his long body, Logan took one last look at how beautiful Kendall looked while sleeping, deep down hoping it wasn't the last time he'd be able to take in this sight, before regretfully trudging off to his bed.

Remembering that James was waiting for news, he sent off a quick message, ignoring the attractive firefighter asleep on his couch for a later time, before curling up into his bed, unable to resist the pull of unconsciousness. By the time James texted back, he was already snoring, fast on his way to sweet dreams.


	6. Chapter 6

_You know, I'm really quite attached to Charlie in this story, but sometimes I like putting him on the backburner so I can focus on Kogan. This is one of those chapters. Please enjoy._

**- Six –**

Logan woke up abruptly, quickly realizing that it wasn't his alarm he'd woken up to. It was still light out obviously, but he'd only been asleep for a few hours. The shades still glowed orange with the dawn, and he knew that it was still the middle of the night according to his biological clock. Checking his pager, he noted that it hadn't woken him up, and he lay still for a moment before hearing shouting in the other room.

Jumping out of bed, he crept to his bedroom down, trying not to make a sound. Though Kendall had stayed over after their long night in the ER, that didn't completely rule out the possibility of an intruder, and he would rather be safe than sorry. Finally making it to the main room, he found that it was indeed Kendall making the sounds, pairing them with a violent thrashing that had him tangled in the blankets Logan had given him only hours ago.

Using his understated strength, he tried to hold the larger man down, just enough to calm him without restraining him. He was afraid that Kendall would lash out at him in his unconscious state, and instead tried to calmly bring him out of it, repeating his name louder and louder until a pair of terrified green eyes looked up at him.

Now that he wasn't thrashing, Kendall sunk into the couch, breathing heavily and sweating. His Hippocratic Oath had him putting Kendall's health first, pushing his bangs back from his forehead as sweat beaded along his hairline. By now the larger man had closed his eyes, but Logan could tell he was still reeling from whatever nightmare he'd been brought out of.

Logan brought Kendall against his chest, his heartbeat calming the other man's as he started to fall asleep again. Logan wondered if he'd ever fully regained consciousness, but continued to hold him to be safe. Running his hands through the long hair at Kendall's neck, his shushing turned into a hum slowly before he began to sing quietly, the song making him hope that Kendall was already asleep.

"_Come stop your crying it'll be alright, just take my hand, hold it tight. I will protect you from all around you. I will be here, don't you cry_," he sang, as Kendall's body went slack against him, the gentle snoring confirming that he'd gone back to sleep.

Carefully lying his body back against the pillows, he took a guilty moment to stare at the man that was so quickly becoming the biggest part of his life. If he'd had the courage, he would have leaned in to press a gentle kiss on the man's lips, but instead settled for his forehead, pushing back his bangs before pressing his lips to his warm skin.

Withdrawing carefully, he glanced at the glittery object around Kendall's neck, finally giving in to his temptation to see what it was. Picking it up, he found that it was the shield that was associated with firefighters, though what it meant he couldn't say. It seemed to be something religious, as Kendall had never brought it out without saying a prayer, but he'd have to ask the man himself.

When he placed the pendant back on Kendall's chest, a hand came up to hold his, and he almost jumped before realizing that it was out of instinct. Kendall's eyes were still closed, his breathing shallow, but he smiled as he held the hand against his heart. Heart nearly bursting, Logan carefully extracted his hand before going back to bed.

As he fell back asleep, he saw the fire that had lit up Kendall's green eyes, and felt in the pit of his stomach the fear that would have caused such terror. He wondered if the man had ever let the stress of his job off of his chest, wondered if he ever spoke about the horrors he must have seen. He made note to look into it, before his tiredness caught up with him, and just as he had a few hours ago, Logan fell asleep quickly, dreaming of a different kind of fire in those striking green eyes.

* * *

When he woke up, he finally felt well-rested, and climbed out of bed slowly before making his way out into the main room. It was easily dinner time, and Kendall had noticed. He was in the kitchen, stripped to his waist while still wearing the scrubs that didn't fit as loosely as they were meant to. They came down to above his ankles and it was obvious they weren't his. Turning from the stove, he grinned at Logan, and the doctor had to wonder if he'd woken up at all.

"So Doc, how'd you sleep?" he asked, and Logan went toward him, rubbing his eyes in a show of being well-rested. From the innocent look Kendall was giving him, he didn't recall the events that had woken Logan up, and he chose not to remind him, making a note to ask Carlos about the night terrors if he ever met the man Kendall spoke so highly of.

He slid into the bar stool at his counter, observing the shine of Kendall's bare chest as he worked over the stove top, aware that he wouldn't mind waking up to this more often, "Fantastic. What are you up to?"

"Well I wanted to make you dinner to thank you for letting me stay," Kendall started, before motioning to what was obviously scrambled eggs, "but you don't really seem equipped for people food, so I'm making eggs."

"I'm a horrible cook," he admitted, shrugging. "Wait, do you cook?"

Motioning again to the frying pan, he rolled his eyes before answering, "If there's anything a firefighter has it's hobbies. You go through enough graveyard shifts and you can learn just about anything. Speaking of long shifts, I have one in about an hour."

"Until tomorrow morning?" Logan asked, his understanding of Kendall's work schedule faltering a little.

He chuckled sardonically as he started to serve the eggs onto two plates, "No, this is my long shift. We all have to take one every few weeks. Twenty-four hours."

"Shit," Logan agreed, before grabbing a fork and going at the eggs that were set in front of him. Kendall smiled, not used to making food for anyone but himself and a bunch of distracted coworkers, before throwing a few slices of bread in the toaster. "Will you even have time to go home and change?"

"You mean I can't show up at the station like this?" he said, motioning to his toned half-bare body, and smirked when Logan was unable to hide his blush, only remembering to chew when he caught Kendall raising an eyebrow. "No probably not. Though my formal clothes will need quite the explanation."

"Secret agent?" Logan teased, smiling as he was handed toast, folding the eggs into it before continuing. "You can borrow something from me. No problem."

When he glanced up, Kendall was staring in his direction, but not directly at him, as if he was lost in thought. Clearing his throat, Kendall looked up as he realized what he was doing and smiled before attending to his own plate. Logan had to wonder if he'd been daydreaming, like he'd caught himself doing all evening.

Finishing up, he wiped his hand on the scrubs he'd been wearing the night before, before getting up and retreating to his bedroom. Kendall had a few inches on him, and his hips were slimmer, but he could probably manage in some of his baggier clothes. Grabbing a pair of oversized sweat pants, he went to his tshirt drawer, hesitating before pulling out the maroon shirt that he'd dubbed his favorite.

When Kendall came out in it, he stared for a moment, taking a mental picture for later. The shirt hugged his torso, and he wanted nothing more than to trace the lettering across his broad chest. Blinking, he realized that he'd been caught staring, and busied himself rearranging things, finding that Kendall had already folded his blanket and placed it on top of the stacked pillows. He was all ready to leave, and Logan had no excuse to make him stay though he could sense that Kendall didn't want to leave either.

Collecting his keys from the counter, Kendall paused, "Thanks for letting me stay. Maybe next time…" he said, glancing toward the bedroom before catching himself, and he cleared his throat before continuing, "If you can't sleep tonight, I wouldn't mind a phone call. Especially since I know you're not working. But if you don't want to…"

"I will," Logan answered, more abruptly than he meant to. Kendall face broke into a grin, his cheeks contracting into the dimples he found so attractive, as he nodded, before letting himself out.

Throwing his body onto the couch, Logan wondered how much longer he could stand the flirtation. Curling into the pile of bedclothes Kendall had left, he breathed in the smell of cologne that was laced with the ever-present smell of soot. Sighing to escape his daydreams, he sat up, opening his text book to do more research on Charlie's condition, and wishing he had a better way to pass the time.

* * *

Finally settled into his bed that night, Logan had a hard time even getting into the mindset of falling asleep. He was closer to another mindset altogether, one that would do him no good when he was lying in bed alone. Pulling out his phone again, he remembered his promise to Kendall, and his thumb hovered over the number for a few moments before he shut his eyes and pressed it. Once the phone was ringing, he couldn't take it back, and it rang for a while before it was finally answered.

Kendall sounded breathless, but he could tell he was smiling as he ordered, "Hold on. Let me find somewhere where I can talk."

Logan could feel his heart beating against his chest as he waited for Kendall to come back, and when he did he explained quickly, "We just got back from a call. But I'm so glad you called. I don't think you understand how much I was looking forward to this."

"I think I might just," he chuckled, before easily moving into the conversation. "Was the fire anything I should worry about?"

"Little grease fire at a fast food joint. Got it contained. Nothing major," he promised, before seguing quickly. "Let's talk about your job. I know you didn't work tonight, but did you happen to…"

"He's doing fine," Logan interrupted, knowing exactly where the conversation was headed. "He's back on track. It's a miracle. They're still keeping an eye on his legs, but from here it's a matter of getting him awake and started in on the transplants."

"That sounds…tough," he admitted, and they settled into their own thoughts concerning Charlie and the struggle he had. Kendall was the first to break from it, "I meant to ask, could you do me a favor? I think I left my suit jacket in your locker in my rush to get out of there. Do you think you might drop it off tomorrow?"

"Is this just an excuse to see me?" he teased, hearing a low chuckle on the other end.

"Is it that obvious?" he answered, surprising Logan as a million questions filled his head. It was probably the most direct statement either them had made about whatever this was that was going on between them. He couldn't let the chance pass him by.

"Hey Kendall, can I ask you something?" he asked, knowing he would ask with or without permission. Once given the go ahead, he continued, "I'm terrible with signals. For all the people I interact with on a daily basis, I'm just not used to subtle allusions and harmless flirtation. So I have to ask…this is something, this thing between us, right?"

Kendall hesitated, and Logan was about to panic, wondering if he'd read it all wrong, before the other man answered softly, "I hope so."

He could feel a tug on his heart as he admitted, "I shouldn't have made you sleep on my sofa last night. I should have dragged you kicking and screaming into my bed. I should have done everything I've wanted to do to you for weeks now."

"I wouldn't have fought," he answered darkly, chuckling before he added, "I was too tired last night."

"But next time?" he asked shakily, feeling the muscles of his abdomen stir, signaling that his prior mindset hadn't much changed.

He could tell that Kendall was cupping his mouth to whisper into the receiver, "Next time I won't give you a choice. I'll pull you into that unmade bed of yours and help you soil those pristine white sheets. And yes I watched you sleep. I came in while you were still asleep and I couldn't take my eyes off of you. You're perfect."

He was stunned into silence as he pulled the sheets up around him, trying not to moan with the way the words prickled his senses, "Why didn't you climb in with me?"

"Because I wouldn't have been able to control myself," he answered darkly. "I've wanted you since the moment I saw you."

"_Fuck_," he groaned, ashamed at how every word was affecting him so strongly. "I wish you were here right now. You wouldn't have to control yourself. I would let you do whatever you wanted."

"_Logan_," he growled, and he could hear him shift, probably to hide whatever reaction he was having from his coworkers. "I shouldn't be doing this, I'm at work."

"I'm not," Logan encouraged as his finger trailed down his stomach to the waistband of his boxers, which were already tenting at the thought of Kendall in his bed, owning him, overpowering him. "How are you doing this to me? I'm not like this. I should have hung up by now."

"Don't you dare," Kendall warned him, and he only thought for a moment before the other man continued. "Close your eyes."

He did as he was ordered, edging past the waistband as Kendall's husky voice whispered over the receiver, "If I were there, I'd pin you to the bed. I'd hold your wrists down, and you'd squirm to touch me but I wouldn't let you. I'd kiss you, softly at first, on the lips, but then I'd be curious. I'd explore, covering all that pale skin. I'd run my teeth over your collar bones, across your chest, then I would whisper your name past your belly button, hovering at the dip of your v."

He'd been biting his lip to stifle the sounds that threatened to escape his lips, but finally let out a moan, and Kendall continued, "You'd feel my warm breath on your balls and you'd shiver with anticipation as my tongue ran up your shaft, before I circled your head, taking you in an inch at a time, breathing against you as you moan, just like this. And you'd want to edge me on, your fingers in my hair, but I'm still holding you down, still teasing you. And then you say my name like it's a dirty word."

"_Kendall_," he moaned, just as the words registered in his ears, and he knew he was getting close. He could hear Kendall breathing deeply on the other end, trying to control himself in the sight of so many others, but Logan had no constraints, and began to move faster, warning Kendall that he was almost there.

"But then I couldn't stop myself, I would go for it all. You'd feel my throat contract around your cock, and I'd be almost gagging but I'd love it. Love the way you filled my mouth. I'd want to taste you, every bit of you, coming down my throat, groaning my name."

He did just that as he was thrown over, Kendall's name echoing through his apartment as the simmering burst into the inevitable wild fire that told hold. He moaned as he rode out his climax, breathing fast as he waited for Kendall to say something, anything.

"Oh fuck Logan," he said, voice shuddering as he tried to keep a lid on his own desire. "I don't…I don't want to end the conversation like this but I need…I _need_ a shower. If any of the guys caught me like this..."

"If any of them try to help you they'll have me to deal with," he threatened, sounding less like himself than he would have thought, and Kendall released a quiet string of curses under his breath.

"You should sleep better now," he observed, before adding, "I will see you tomorrow. I have to see you tomorrow."

"Think of me in that shower," he teased, fingers grazing over his own torso wantonly as he chuckled.

Kendall answered quietly, "I'm always thinking of you."

When Logan was left speechless, he chuckled, before reminding the other man to bring him his jacket. Logan knew he'd be there, because even in the few moments since he'd hung up, he'd already begun to miss the warm feeling he got when he was with Kendall. He'd begun to crave it, more than work and more than coffee. His new addiction was wrapped up in a rather attractive 5' 11" package that was currently showering away his own yearning. With that thought, Logan tumbled toward sleep, a smile on his face.


	7. Chapter 7

_So the end of that last chapter. That was something. I kind of lost control on that one, but there is an explanation and a purpose for it, so don't think I've gone off the deep end. I am perfectly sane and perfectly in control of this plot, and if you were to say otherwise I'd deny it. Here's me proving my point in a chapter that I'd meant to split into two, but what the hell._

**- Seven –**

This time when Logan woke up, he was met with a rush of memories from the night before, Kendall's voice husky in his ear when they…he cringed into the sunlight in embarrassment. Whatever had overcome him last night, it was gone now, and he tried to force away the snippets he was recalling, his hand in his boxers as Kendall had thrown him over the edge.

He'd never done anything like that, and never this early into a relationship. They weren't even in a relationship for fuck's sake. He knew before he called, that moment of hesitation before he pressed Kendall's contact information on his phone, that he shouldn't have called Kendall while he was tired and horny. It was a bad combination.

He thought of looking Kendall in his eyes again, and he blanched, realizing that he wouldn't be able to face him with all the embarrassment he felt from what they'd done. It wasn't that it was disappointing, or that he hadn't enjoyed it, but if there was anything Logan Mitchell was about it was planning, and phone sex was supposed to come quite a few steps after admitting their feelings, if the allusions last night could count as that.

He felt foolish and duped, not by Kendall, but by his own urges, and he wished he could take that whole conversation back, even the perfect bits where Kendall had admitted to thinking about him all the time. That had happened right? Admittedly, there were more vibrant memories in that conversation, but Kendall had definitely said he was thinking of him.

Another thing he'd mentioned was his suit coat and Logan groaned as he realized that he'd promised to deliver it that afternoon. It had seemed like a fine idea at the time, getting to see Kendall for a few minutes of harmless flirting, but the flirting was no longer harmless. It was sexually charged and intense, and he wasn't sure if he was ready for that.

Calling James, he asked when his shift was over, and when James told him one they made plans to meet up for lunch, the more experienced man teasing him about "boy troubles" before he promised to get the jacket out of Logan's locker for him.

It was late morning by then, and Logan spent most of it trying to distract himself from the crippling embarrassment he felt from letting it go that far, nay, he had encouraged Kendall, threatening to hang up. He knew the blame fell on him, whatever the consequences of last night's indiscretion were, though he wasn't sure if he was ready for them.

Climbing into the booth at one of their favorite places, James tossed him the suit coat before starting his merciless teasing, every jab hitting its target, until he realized that Logan's grin was actually a grimace and became concerned, "Did something happen between you guys? What aren't you telling me?"

"He…we…" Logan couldn't bring himself to say the words, and though he knew James would be the last to judge him, saying it out loud would make it real. It would no longer be on the fine line between fantasy and reality, "Last night we were on the phone, and he caught me at a weird time and we ended up…I mean he…and I was in bed…"

James grinned, his tone patronizing as he congratulated Logan, "Little Logie's all grown up and having phone sex!"

The more private man shushed him as a few people looked up from their coffee at James's remark, and he blushed as he used the menu to hide his reaction, "It's not funny James."

"I didn't say it was," James responded, tugging the menu down so he could see Logan's face again. "But I still don't see what the problem is. I mean, you're two consenting adults that are into each other. My real surprise is that it wasn't the real thing."

"Exactly!" Logan interjected, though his wording wasn't totally correct, "We haven't done anything real. We missed the step between flirting and phone sex and I don't know how to find it again."

"Well you start by asking him out on a date," James said, the answer obvious to everyone but Logan. "And then maybe you can work your way up to phone sex again. Nobody said that you couldn't have a second chance."

"I just can't get over the embarrassment. How am I supposed to look at him after we…" once again, he couldn't bring himself to define what had happened the night before.

A look of confusion crossed James's perfectly sculpted face as he asked quietly, "Was it really that bad?"

Only allowing himself a moment to relive the gentle purring of Kendall's voice in his ear, he cleared his throat, "Not at all. I mean, it was new to me, but from what I can tell…he was spectacular."

"Of course he was. Mr. Golden Boy. Please, if you ever find something he's bad at, let me know," James teased, before seeing the way his friend's face dropped. "Oh god, what did I say now?"

"What if I ruined it? What if I can't look at him the same way?" he pleaded, tying his running shoes when there was nowhere to run.

James shrugged, "Who says you have to look at him the same way? Now you know two very important things: he is attracted to you, and he gets you off. I know you think I'm a slut, but those two things alone have built some of my most rewarding relationships."

Logan rolled his eyes, still not totally convinced, but their food came and James got distracted, only stopping to pull Logan out of his thoughts every few bites. Logan was bad enough at following meal patterns without the distraction of conversation, and James began to talk just to force him to keep eating.

"You're supposed to drop his jacket off at the fire station after this, aren't you?" he asked, mouth still full of food.

Logan shook his head before asking, "I told him I would, but I'm afraid of what I'll do. Are you offering to come with me?"

"Some things in life you just have to suffer through alone," James teased, adding, "Having to interact with a hot man who doesn't even have to touch you to get you off? Let me just throw you a pity party. Smallest violin Logan, it's playing just for you."

He raised his fingers and rubbed them together, only long enough to mock Logan before diving back into his food, "I'm telling you, he's probably not overthinking this as much as you are. You are the grand duke of overthinking. Why don't you just wait to see what happens like a normal person?"

"He says as if anything about this relationship is normal," Logan added with a roll of his eyes.

James glared at him, willing him to see reason, but it was no good, "Just promise me you're not going to do something stupid like hide from him and not return his calls? Because I know you, and if you go all Logan the Hedgehog on me I will personally beat your ass. For your own sake, of course."

"Did you really just call me that?" Logan interjected, looking up from his plate at the phrase that had popped out of James's mouth, but he was met with a forkful of hashbrowns that James was so willingly feeding him.

"Eat. I expect you to be at the fire station in half an hour, and I'm not letting you avoid this. It's for your own good," he said, persistent.

Logan grumbled, unsure of how he felt about be mothered by someone as immature and self-centered as James Diamond, but he nodded and began to eat, promising to meet James's deadline.

* * *

Sure enough, half an hour later he was parked outside the fire station, not so far from where he'd dropped Kendall off the night they met. He was unsure of how to approach the station, but settled on entering through the open garage doors at the front. He grabbed the jacket that sat in his passenger seat, before making his way up the driveway.

Stepping into the cavernous garage, he looked around for a moment, finding it nearly empty. As he tried to think of what to do next, a door opened near him, and a short Latino came out, chuckling to himself.

Logan stood still for a moment, unsure of how to proceed, before the man looked up and saw him standing there. He looked from Logan's face to the jacket clenched in his hands, and smiled before exclaiming, "You must be McDreamy!"

He was taken aback by this conclusion, pausing before prompting, "Excuse me?"

The man smirked, before holding his hand out to shake, "Sorry, I like to tease him about you, the hot doctor he never stops talking about. Logan, right? I'm Carlos."

Finally catching up, Logan realized that Carlos was just how he'd pictured him, grinning from ear to ear as his body language changed to fit the situation. These few moments had confirmed that Logan wasn't a stranger, and he had to wonder if Carlos knew as much as James did by now. The thought made him blush.

"Is Kendall around?" he asked, knowing he owed James that much, but Carlos smirked, his dark eyes knowing. Yeah, Carlos was in the loop.

"He's still sleeping. We actually had a call early this morning, and it didn't help that he was up all night. Took a really long shower after a phone call last night," he added, eyebrow raising as he smirked knowingly at Logan, who cleared his throat, embarrassed. "McDreamy indeed."

"So should I give this to you then?" he asked nervously to change the subject, holding up the jacket, which Carlos folded over his arm.

Unsure of how to withdraw himself, he was about to step away when Carlos caught him by the arm, "You know, I can tell why he likes you. You're good for him. I know you can't see it because you didn't know him before, but he really is different since he met you. Even the nightmares…"

He realized he'd said too much and stopped, but Logan encouraged him, "So it happens a lot? He had one yesterday. Scared the shit out of me."

"Only when he's really tired or stressed out," Carlos admitted. "But I'm not sure if he remembers them in the morning. He's never really mentioned it after the fact. But yeah, I've had to snap him out of a few. And they've gotten less frequent since he met you, like I said."

Logan wasn't sure if the last part was true, or just Carlos downplaying the situation, but either way he had to wonder what would haunt him so badly to tear him apart like that, and he decided that he would get to the bottom of it. That is, if he ever had the guts to face Kendall after last night.

"Well, I should get back to work. I'll tell Kendall you dropped by. I'm sure he'll be glad you came," he said, his smirk so subtly referring to the fact that he was privy to more than Logan would have liked, and he stifled a blush as he left the station.

A few hours later he got a text from Kendall, and he felt embarrassed to look at it, wondering whether it would be flirty or sexually charged or annoyed. Instead, it simply said, "_Hi_."

He groaned, realizing that anything he said now would be a mistake, and instead put his phone on the charger, an excuse if Kendall wondered why he hadn't answered. Instead, he used his landline to call James, who once again threatened him against shutting Kendall out, but agreed that it was probably best not to respond if he didn't know how to.

For the first time in weeks, work that night was almost a relief, and when he checked on Charlie the boy seemed to be healing faster than he had been up to that point. With his estimation, they'd have him awake within the next few days, and part of him couldn't wait to meet the child he'd already handed his heart to, though another part of him feared the battle he had ahead, hoping that Charlie was as strong as they'd all hoped. He would have to be to fight through the skin grafts, which were painful but necessary.

He felt obligated to text Kendall an update on Charlie's condition, and they texted back and forth for a few minutes until he found an excuse to be called away before he could bring up what had happened the night before. The rest of the week went much the same, with Kendall texting or calling him at work, and him making an excuse as to why he was being called away. He felt awful about it, but he still wasn't ready to face him, not sure how to ask for a redo.

"Kendall, I don't know how to say this, but I'm kind of anal…" he started, muttering to himself, before realizing there could be a sexual connotation to that and starting again, "Kendall, I think we should go back to friends…" but that was the last thing he wanted, he just wanted to find the step that came before… "Kendall, I just want to kiss you. For now, I just want to…taste you…"

He groaned as he slammed his head against the locker room wall. His Friday morning shift had just finished, and he was headed home to get some sleep when a text came in from Kendall, "_We should do something_."

"_Not sure. I might have plans with James_," he lied quickly, squinting as he realized how horrible he was. He would likely be sitting at home watching hockey highlights all night and he knew it.

"I didn't know we had plans," James said, catching him off guard as he hugged him from behind, reading his cell phone screen over his shoulder. Logan turned to see him smirking, and he regretted ever using James in the lie. "Listen, if you're avoiding that hot piece of ass, I'm not letting you just sit around and do it passively. Nobody likes a liar Logie. I'll pick you up at six. We have plans now."

He tried to argue, but James made a show of getting to work, and Logan knew that he was going to go along with whatever James had planned. As it was, he didn't have anything better to be doing, and whether he liked to admit it or not, one night of James's exuberant lifestyle would be just the prescription to get his mind off of Kendall.

* * *

That night Logan opened the door no later than five, and James made a point that he was there to help Logan get ready. The smaller man tried to argue, but he still wasn't dressed or showered, and his arguments were silenced as James shoved him into his bathroom to shower, raiding his closet in the meantime for something suitable to wear.

There were a lot of things James was horribly wrong about, but when it came to men's fashion Logan had found he was consistently reliable, and though he questioned the necessity of dressing up for whatever James planned for their outing, the image that greeted him in the mirror was hard to argue with, a picture of class with gray slacks and a striped shirt that fit him better than his own skin.

"Now you're suitable to be seen with," James admired, straightening the creases on Logan's sport's jacket, a smug look on his face.

"Where are we going anyway?" Logan asked as he gathered his essentials for the night out, struggling to locate his phone.

Instead of helping him, James rushed him out, "Don't worry about it. Come on, you don't need your phone to distract you. Tonight you're going to have fun."

He knew the moment they left that they were headed to one of James's favorite clubs, the first one he'd taken him to on their one and only date. It had ended with Logan bringing James home, only because he'd drank too much and needed to sleep it off. They'd been nothing but friends ever since, but it didn't hurt that James was hot and a great dancer. He was indeed going to enjoy his night, and he was almost glad that he'd left his phone at home so he could focus on his friendship with James and not his whatever-it-was with Kendall.

James had no trouble getting them in. As a regular he was easily recognized, both by reputation and face, and he greeted half the club as they made their way to the bar. James was driving, and promised to drink only a small quantity and early in the night, and when he ordered shots Logan knew they'd be there a while. He drank his quickly, and James smirked again, definitely up to something.

"What are you up to?" he asked, but James only smiled before pulling him to the dance floor. The shot was just what Logan had needed to loosen up, and he began to dance with abandon, grinding into James, laughing at his observations of nearby couples. Anybody else would have thought they were together, but he could see James looking around for better pickings and he didn't mind at all. After all, his mind was still partially on Kendall, whether he liked to admit it or not.

In his tequila-induced haze, he almost thought he was hallucinating, spotting a pair of confused green eyes in the crowd, before his eyes roamed the face they were attached to and found that it was indeed familiar. As impossible as it was, the face was inevitablely…

"Kendall?" he asked aloud, and James turned as well, before waving over the confused blond. Carlos trailed close behind, and as they came closer they were forced to press up against each other to be heard. Still feeling awkward about their last encounter, Logan prickled at that way Kendall pressed up against him, and he made conversation to distract himself. "What are the odds of seeing you guys here?"

The confusion only became more prominent as Kendall pulled out his phone, "You texted me to meet you here?"

Logan took his phone to read the message, "_I'm sorry I haven't made time for you all week. James and I are out, but if you bring a friend maybe we can lose him._"

It was the last part that gave him away, and he turned to James as he addressed Kendall, "On our way out I noticed my phone was missing."

Without missing a beat, he pulled Logan's cell phone out of his pocket, "Oh, I thought I told you? I grabbed it for you."

He handed back with a smirk, and Kendall glanced between them before blanching with embarrassment. After all, he'd dragged Carlos all the way to the club under the false pretense of Logan wanted to spend time with him, only to find out that it was likely a means for James to get laid. Trying to cover for his friend's horrible judgement, Logan found the courage to lean forward to confirm, "I'm glad you're here. You should thank James, I was too nervous to ask you myself."

The look on Kendall's face showed he wasn't about to thank James for anything, and it was only then that Logan realized the taller man's arm was still hanging loosely around his waist from when they'd been dancing. He swatted James away, knowing from his smirk that he'd known all along, and instead introduced him to Carlos, who wasn't trying to hide that he liked what he saw.

James quickly offered to buy Carlos a drink, and the pair disappeared, leaving Logan and Kendall alone for the first time in what seemed like ages. The song had a decent beat and Logan took the initiative to pull Kendall closer to dance with him. Part of him wanted to show Kendall that whatever conniving had brought him here, Logan was glad he'd come, and another part of him craved Kendall's touch as he always had, even when it wasn't convenient.

Leaning forward to speak in his ear, yelling over the music, "I was starting to think you were avoiding me."

"Does it look like I'm avoiding you?" he hedged, hand resting against Kendall's hips, trying to distract him. The look in his eyes said he wanted to continue his line of questioning, but not at the moment, not when the beat was good and the melody was humming like a cicada, driving them on as they ground into each other. Logan could feel his body losing control again, the burning desire taking hold, and rather than lose it in the middle of the dance floor, he pulled Kendall toward the bar, needing another drink to calm his nerves.

Kendall was also driving and ordered a ginger ale, but paid for Logan's gin and tonic before leading him toward a corner of the loft where they could overlook the dance floor while still able to hear each other without yelling. Logan sat down, and Kendall pulled his chair over so they could sit next to each other rather than across, leaning into the conversation. After all, Logan's tactics had kept them apart for nearly a week.

"I'm sorry," he started, knowing there was no way of avoiding the topic. After all, he'd ignored ever text and call for nearly a week, and Kendall deserved an explanation. "After our…conversation, I panicked. I didn't know what it meant and I was afraid I'd fucked things up. And by avoiding it, I fucked things up worse, and you deserve an apology for all of it."

The alcohol was making his thoughts incoherent, and even though his speech hadn't begun to slur yet, his words refused to order themselves in any way that resembled rational thought. Still, Kendall showed that he understood, and Logan had to wonder if he even deserved the forgiving shrug he was given.

"I was confused too," Kendall admitted. "It just seemed that we were moving so slowly, and then all of a sudden fast, zero to sixty…and as good…"

"Great," Logan corrected him, a knowing smile on his face.

"Great," he confirmed, before continuing, "as that night was, I'm not sure we were ready for it yet. And I know for a lot of guys it would be nothing to complain about, but I'd rather take things one step at a time…"

"And that was a huge leap," Logan finished, glad to realize they were on the same page. "And I don't want to go back to passive flirting, but I think it would be good to take a step back. I want to take this slow, do it right, because…I think you're worth it."

Kendall smiled from ear to ear, nodding, "If it's any consolation, I think I'm worth it too."

"You sounded like James just then," he chuckled, but Kendall's face lost some of its good humor and he added. "Ask me, right now, before this goes any further."

Kendall looked like he wanted to deny the insinuation, but instead he paused before asking, "Is there anything going on between you and James?"

"Apart from the night almost five years ago when he tried and failed to get into my pants? No," he confirmed, not sure if it was enough.

He found James on the dance floor, not surprised to find that he was still with Carlos. Their dancing was heated, and he had no doubt that James would get what he'd been looking for. Carlos was in a state of euphoria as James kissed his neck, his hand in the taller man's hair, and he had to wonder how Kendall was ignorant to this while he was busy interrogating the man next to him.

But he was, and continued darkly, "You're just very affectionate. And I don't want to be one of those jealous types that doesn't want you hanging around the people you love, but it's unnerving. Anybody with eyes can see he's attractive."

"Funny, he said the same thing about you. Maybe I should be worried," Logan joked, and he looked down at the rings on the table, realizing how ridiculous he sounded. But Logan knew that it wasn't ridiculous, not when it was James, and reached out for his hand, "I have never felt an ounce of what I feel for you when I'm with James. He's my best friend, and that's not going to change, but when he touches me, it doesn't feel like fire against my skin. My heart doesn't attempt to beat out of my chest. And I definitely don't stop to wonder what it would feel like to kiss him, to the point it's distracting."

He seemed to have found the right words, and Kendall smiled, his thumb running along Logan's knuckles slowly, "Are you thinking about it right now?"

He nodded, wondering if the time had come, but Kendall shook his head, though he looked a little disappointed as well, as he explained, "Not here."

Not able to argue with that conclusion, Logan stood to pull him to the dance floor, wondering if they'd do anything like this again. Not that he thought he'd never go out with Kendall, but this place obviously wasn't part of their scene, and without James neither of them would have seen the inside of it. Still, they could enjoy it, and used the cluttered dance floor to be closer to one another, moving to the music and enjoying themselves, until Logan realized it was starting to get late. Kendall almost looked disappointed at the conclusion, but the words "not here" were reflected in his eyes and Logan was willing to fly if it could get them out of there any sooner.

After a few minutes searching, Carlos and James were certainly missing, and Logan could draw his own conclusions on why. After a call to each of their voice mails, it was decided that Kendall would drive him home, though that would have inevitably been decided anyway. As they darted between the other patrons, Kendall took his hand as not to lose him, but once they were out in the fresh air he refused to give it back, instead leading their way to his car with fingers intertwined.

This is what Logan had wanted, this slow personal progression of their relationship, and he couldn't stop being thankful that they had a second chance to do it right. Part of him hoped that if they did it right this time, they'd never have to do it again, with anyone else, ever. As if to prove the thought, Kendall opened his door for him and he climbed into the Mustang. Once he'd taken his place behind the wheel, Kendall took his hand again, and he was bursting with anticipation as Kendall drove back to his place.

Parked in front of his building, Logan hesitated, not wanting the night to be over. He thought about asking Kendall up, but knew that would ruin whatever they'd just fixed. Instead he glanced over at the man in the driver's seat, catching his eyes, and he opened his mouth to say something, but Kendall spoke first, "I'll walk you to the door."

Though he argued halfheartedly, he knew what this meant, and he became suddenly anxious, more than he'd been for any kiss apart from his first. With Kendall, it was special, and he knew it, deep down in his heart. This wasn't a throwaway thing he'd forget about once they'd moved forward. This would only intensify his already burning feelings for the man, and he had to be sure he was ready for it.

When they paused at the stoop and Kendall stopped, looking down at him for confirmation, he knew he was prepared for whatever this brought. He wanted it, he craved it. He brought his hand up to skim the side of Kendall's neck before leading him down until their lips met. With this confirmation, Kendall pulled him closer, unable to ignore the combustion of their lips touching and wanting more. Letting his fingers tangle in the hair at the nape of Kendall's neck, Logan tried to control himself, repeating in his head that they meant to slow down.

Pulling back, they seemed to be in agreement. Kendall's eyes promised that it wouldn't be their last opportunity by any means, and he asked quickly, "Please don't make me go another week without hearing from you. I couldn't stand it."

"You'll be lucky if you don't hear from me before I make it upstairs," he joked, but his eyes were apologetic. He knew he'd never do that again.

Unsure of what to say next, Kendall leaned down for one more kiss, this time softer and sweeter, before pulling away regretfully to get back to his car. With the Mustang between them, likely so he wouldn't run back, he smiled as he waved at Logan, who raised his hand in response, unable to repress the grin that tugged at his dimples.

He looked at his phone as he got into the elevator, and unable to resist, he dialed the number on speed dial. When Kendall picked up, he teased, "If I'm not getting lucky tonight, neither are you."

"What floor did you make it to?"

Logan hesitated before admitting, "The elevator just started moving."

There was a pause and he knew that Kendall was smiling, so hard it threatened to pull a muscle, and he waited for the response as the elevator dinged on each floor.

He cleared his throat, but his voice came out husky anyway, "I told you I was worth the wait."

"I never argued," he reminded him, as the elevator opened on the correct floor. "I don't want you driving distracted. I'll call you tomorrow."

"I'm already driving distracted. You think I need to speak to you to be distracted by you? This week disproved that theory, sorry," he chided him again.

"I'll call you tomorrow," he repeated, this time as a promise, before they both said their goodbyes. As he entered the apartment, Logan couldn't help but pause, biting his lip to remember the way Kendall had tasted, and he found himself smiling again.


	8. Chapter 8

_Okay, so I'm behind on both of my fics, and I'd like to blame it on school starting up, but I could just as easily blame it on writer's block and laziness. There are tons of people who have been pushing me to update (most of them Tumblr anons), but that last shove was from__** flaccidwinchester**__ on Tumblr, so she gets a shout out. Hopefully you guys don't revolt over the wait, but if you're reading this, thank you for coming back._

**- Eight -**

It was probably the worst night of sleep Logan had gotten in years, but this time it was for all the right reasons. After forcing himself into bed, he'd laid awake thinking of the events of the night, and how finally, after a week of pure terror, he and Kendall were back on track. More importantly, they'd finally kissed, the feeling of Kendall's lips against his the confirmation he needed to truly believe that there was something there. And after the two - _two_ - kisses on his stoop, he had no doubt.

It was almost too much to awake the next morning to a page from the hospital, and though his first instinct was to panic, a quick call to the hospital proved that good things came to those who waited, and that Charlie had begun to wake up, after weeks of being comatose. It took everything he had not to rush to the hospital, but he had to alert the masses, starting first with Kendall, as if the man wasn't already at the forefront of his thoughts.

He sat up in bed, leaning against his headboard as he called the man, nerves bursting with excitement to relay the good news after so many weeks of repeating the same appeasing details. Remembering almost too late that it was early in the morning, too early for most humans, he thought to hang up and call back later, but knew that if it were him he would have like to hear the moment the boy opened his eyes. On that premise, he called again, and this time he heard a humming sound into the receiver, as Kendall likely answered the phone blindly, still half asleep and groping for the device merely to stifle its vibration.

"Kendall?" he asked, trying to make sure the man was coherent before continuing.

He could almost hear the sleepy smile against the receiver as Kendall noted, "You really can't get enough of me can you?"

The voice was husky with sleep, and it took everything he had to focus on the situation at hand, trying to stifle his own urges to crawl through the phone line and into Kendall's bed. Instead, he relayed, "We'll talk about me later. But first, I've got some great news."

"The kind of news worth waking me up at-" he paused, probably to check the time before groaning. "Five? This better be good."

"Let me put it this way, you and I aren't the only ones waking up right now," he teased, hoping Kendall was quick enough to catch on, and there was a tense pause as the man fought the slowness of his recently-wakened mind and finally worked out exactly what the doctor was telling him.

Logan could almost hear the other man shoot up in bed, sleep forgotten, as he exclaimed, "Charlie! He's awake? Can I see him?"

The words lapsed in a rush, and Logan could only chuckle as he promised, "I still need to get to the hospital to figure out what's going on, but I had to tell you first. Was I right to wake you up?"

"Yes," Kendall answered immediately, before continuing, "When I told you to call me, I just wanted to talk, but holy shit Logan. This beats all."

"Let's see you try to beat that the next time you call me," he teased, before concluding. "I should get going, but I hope I made your morning. I'll call you later with an update. Get some sleep."

"You expect me to sleep after this?" he criticized, before following. "But you're right. The sooner you hang up the sooner you can check on our little fighter. I'll talk to you later."

Logan opened his mouth to respond, but was caught off-guard by the statement that almost made it sound like Charlie was their's. He cleared his mind as quickly as he could, "Don't worry, I'll be in touch. Bye Kendall."

"Bye Logan," he said, and Logan closed his eyes, picturing the smile he knew was playing across Kendall's lips. He took a moment to recover from that call, before standing, digging through his drawers as he made another call, this time to James, who didn't work this morning and would be out of the loop.

It took a few rings for the call to connect, and when it did, the voice on the other end wasn't James. Though it took him a moment, he recognized the voice that belonged to Carlos, his breath staggered in a strange pattern.

"L-Logan, uh, James made me answer the phone, because he can't- oh_ fuck_..."

It took less than an instant for Logan to understand what was happening, "I would ask to talk to him, but I can assume his mouth is busy."

"_Mmm_," was Carlos's only response, before he gasped, and Logan could hear the scuffle as the phone was handed over.

"Logan, I'm kind of busy to be playing telephone hour..." his voice was impatient, and Logan noted that his focus hadn't completely changed, as he heard what he recognized as Spanish curse words in the background.

"I'll let you get back to business," he teased as he finally gathered his clothes together and entered the bathroom, stripping as he got to the point for his distracted friend, "But when you're done you should call me. Charlie's conscious."

"That's fantas-_shole. Fuck_! Logan, I'll...bye," he said before hanging up, and Logan let out a breath, used to his friend's straightforward attitude toward his sex life. It wasn't the first time he'd interrupted something, and he doubted it would be the last.

Though he bubbled over with excitement, both leftover from last night and the news this morning, he took his time showering. After all, he did his best thinking under the warm water, letting his mind wander and analyze what was going on in his life. Foremost at the moment was Charlie, who though awake now faced a new set of problems. He would still likely be out of it thanks to the painkillers, but probably not out of it enough to ignore the absence of his mother at his bedside. It was likely that Ellen had broken the news to him already, but it was equally likely that they would try to hide his mother's death from him as long as possible, as not to slow down his recovery. There was also the matter of his healing, which, though moving at a normal rate, still had a while to go.

He began to feel sick to his stomach with worry, a sensation he'd become used to when dealing with his favorite patient, and distracted himself with thoughts of his budding relationship. They'd kissed. They'd finally kissed. And it had been more perfect than he could have imagined. He let his fingers ghost over his bottom lip again, closing his eyes as he remembered the feeling of Kendall's lips against his, smiling at the thought.

With a sigh, he decided that he'd stretched his shower out as long as he could, and dressed quickly before heading for the hospital. Once inside, he found himself stalling, taking his time in the locker room, getting a cup of coffee in the break room, checking in on patients that he had no interest in monitoring. All to avoid the task of introducing himself to the boy that had become the biggest self-serving mission of his career.

Putting his fear aside, he finally approached the room, smiling at the nurse who excused herself as he walked in. There was another keeping him company, one of Logan's favorite nurses, who was teasing him into eating the green jello from the cafeteria.

"The orange is much better," he introduced, smiling as he picked up the chart hanging from the end of the bed. He assessed his patient as he felt the boy's eyes on him, noting that his face, which had been upgraded from its mummy-like wrappings a few weeks ago, was lit up. He was happy to be awake, even through the pain and circumstances that faced him, and Logan knew immediately that he'd been a good judge of the boy's determination all those weeks ago. "I'm Doctor Mitchell, but you can call me Logan."

"He was the doctor the night you came in," the nurse added helpfully, and Logan nodded in confirmation.

"Doctor Logan," the boy repeated, storing the information for later, before adding thoughtfully, "I think I've heard your voice before."

If it were possible to smile any harder, Logan did, before excusing the nurse to talk to his patient. She promised Charlie she would be back later, before smiling at the doctor on her way out of the room. He took the seat she vacated, pushing aside the tray that the boy had decimated. From what he could tell, it had been his first solid meal, the feeding tube removed under the approval of one of his other doctors. Logan trusted their judgement, willing to leave many responsibilities to the other specialists in exchange for times with the kid.

He felt the hazel eyes boring into him, willing him to speak, but patient, before he finally began, "You know, you've had us pretty worried for the last couple weeks. But you fought very hard. I'm happy to see you awake."

"I'm happy to see me awake too," the boy said, smiling as if his doctor was the most oblivious person on the planet. But the smiled disappeared as he admitted, "I thought I was going to die."

The admission stunned Logan, and he reached out, placing his hand over Charlie's bandaged arm, "But you didn't. You were strong and you made it. And there were a bunch of us here rooting for you, the whole time. Did you meet Ellen?"

"She's the social worker, right?" the boy asked hesitantly, finding it hard to keep so many names and faces straight when he was still in somewhat of a drug-induced haze. Logan confirmed his guess with a nod, and he continued, "She left right before you got here. After she told me..."

The boy couldn't finish his statement, and he looked up at Logan, begging him to make it better, though it was out of his control, "Your mom. We couldn't save her Charlie. It was too late. But she's been watching over you..."

"I know," he said calmly, though there was a sad edge to his voice, "I could feel her. Just like I could hear you. You...sang to me?"

He could feel his cheeks turning scarlet, and had anyone else asked, he would have denied it. But he'd sat at this boy's bedside for weeks now, and instead he nodded, "Sometimes. But if you tell Kendall that I'll know it came from you."

After a curious look from the boy, he explained, "Kendall's the firefighter who pulled you out. I talked to him this morning, and he can't wait to meet you."

He hoped he'd hidden his familiarity with the man well enough, but if Charlie had noticed, he'd ignored it, instead asking, "Really? He remembers me?"

It was amazing how little Charlie realized he was loved, how many people had lost sleep over him in the recent weeks. He probably believed himself to be alone in the world, with no mother and no family to come home to, but Logan was beginning to think of the few people the boy could rely on: Ellen, James, Kendall, and not least of all himself, to help him through the coming weeks of treatment, and in at least one case, to find him a home outside of these sterile walls.

"You don't know how much we care about you," he told the boy, hoping his eyes could prove his point more than words ever could. When Charlie looked shy all of a sudden, contemplating his words, Logan decided that they'd chatted long enough for the time being. "So much in fact, that I'm going to leave you so you can get some rest. I know you were out for a long time, but that's not how recovery works. Sleep for a couple of hours, and I'll be back to check in on you."

The boy agreed, if reluctantly, and Logan made sure his eyes were closed before leaving the room. Heading toward the break room, he checked his phone to see a volley of missed calls and text messages, both from James and Kendall. After pouring himself yet another cup of coffee, he sat down to answer them.

First order of business was James, who'd left him a voicemail, and he listened to it, smiling at the excitement in his friend's voice, "_I just dropped Carlos off. I mean, wow Logan, just...wow. You can keep Kendall. I don't need him anymore. But Charlie? Are you serious? I'm on duty later tonight, so I'm sure I'll run into you then. I'm gonna get some sleep. Didn't get any last night. But yeah, just thought I'd tell you...wow_."

Deciding that it was best to let his friend sleep, he texted him quickly to let him know that he'd see him later. Though he wasn't supposed to be working by any means, adding up the overtime wouldn't kill him. He pondered changing some of his shifts around so he could be here more days, when Charlie was actually awake, but realized that he was thinking too far ahead again and mentally changed subjects.

The series of texts Kendall had sent him amounted to a shopping list, asking what Charlie would need that he was now awake. Logan was reminded that the fire had claimed nearly everything the boy had once owned, and decided to call Kendall to see what he had decided.

He felt his heart beat a little faster as the phone rang, and when he heard the timbre of Kendall's voice answer, he immediately smiled, "You didn't go back to sleep like I told you to, did you?"

"I told you I wouldn't be able to sleep after that," he reminded him, before struggling with something. "I'm just getting back from the store now. I bought some kid essentials. You know, coloring books, candy bars, I think there's a bucket of army guys in here. I mean, it depends what suits him. I'm just trying to remember what I had as a kid."

"I bet you were into comic books," Logan surmised, settling against his arm comfortably.

Kendall wasn't willing to be outdone, and charged, "Yeah, well I'd bet money that by his age you were the proud owner of a chemistry set, a microscope, and telescope. Would I be correct in that assumption?"

"I got the telescope for my tenth birthday, if you must know," he responded, his voice teasing. "Anyway, when do plan on giving him the stuff? I'm planning on sticking around for a while..."

But he didn't finish, interrupted by Kendall's excitement, "You mean come today? I can see him today? I thought there would be some sort of waiting period or something where he was being monitored."

"He's always being monitored Kendall, it's a hospital," he reminded him. "Plus, you'd be amazed how far dating a staff member will get you around here."

There was a pause, and he was unsure if he'd misspoke. After all, there had been no official dates yet. But there had been that kiss last night, and the one that followed, and if that wasn't deemed dating, at least in a casual sense, he was more socially inept than he had previously thought.

Instead, he could hear Kendall's grin as he teased, "I forgot about the benefits of nepotism. Too bad you're too good to have selfish motives about getting me to the hospital..."

"Why don't you get here and we'll see how greedy I can get," he answered, wondering when he'd ever picked up the ability to flirt coherently. The thought crossed his mind that maybe he'd been spending too much time with James, but it was quickly interrupted by Kendall's voice.

"Pulling out of my driveway as we speak," was his answer, and he didn't give time for a response before telling Logan he'd see him in a moment and hanging up.

He made himself busy, consulting a few patients who had been waiting far too long in the emergency room, before finally making his way back around to the nurse's station, where Kendall had learned to wait for him. Sure enough, he was standing there, making conversation with the nurse that had attended Charlie earlier, and Logan smiled to see that he was weighed down with shopping bags. Looking up, he was spotted, and Kendall came toward him, hobbling with bags on each arm. He took some of the bags, and began to lead Kendall down the corridor toward Charlie's room, before the other man paused to lean toward him.

"Do you have a break room or something?" the other man asked, and Logan smiled, almost sure of his reasoning. Thankfully, the room he'd vacated not so long ago was empty, and they set their bags down on the table before Logan was being pressed against the edge, his head caught between the other man's palms and his lips caught by Kendall's, so intensely that it almost took his breath away.

He opened his eyes as Kendall pulled away, asking, "What was that for?"

"I could lie and say excitement," he explained. "But really I've been wanting to do that again since last night."

"Funny, so was I," Logan admitted, before letting his own hand press against the side of the taller man's neck. "Maybe we deserve one more for all that waiting."

Kendall smirked before leaning in again, and this time he pressed his tongue against Logan's lips, quickly gaining entrance to explore his partner's mouth. Logan's center of gravity was thrown as he was pressed into the edge of the table, held up by a pair of strong hands hold his waist. His own thumb rubbed distractedly at Kendall's pulse point, feeling his heart rate escalate, correlating with the intensity of their kiss. He faintly recognized the sound of the break room door opening, but rather than break apart, he encouraged the larger man, letting his own tongue join the fray as he worked to add fire to the flames bursting through his chest.

It was only when he was satisfied that he drew the kiss to an end, Kendall pulling back to straighten himself as Logan moved forward to stand of his own bearings. Realizing how quickly the kiss had escalated, Kendall began rubbing the back of his neck nervously, the words from last night sounding in both of their minds. After noting that whoever had interrupted them had backed out of the room quietly, Logan took his hand to show that there was no fault for losing control, and tried to change the subject, hoping the blood would disperse from his cheeks - as well as other regions.

"He should be awake again soon. I talked to him a little while ago; made him promise to get some rest. But I doubt he got any. He's too excited to be alive," Logan mused about his patient, a smile crossing his face as he remember the boy's ignorance to his circumstances. "He didn't think you'd remember him though. I don't know how to tell him how much he's changed all of our lives."

"Well he's certainly changed mine," Kendall grinned, catching the shorter man's eyes to leave no doubt as to the intention of his statement, before adding curiously, "So you mentioned me?"

"I might have, yes," Logan admitted, before adding. "But I mentioned a lot of people. I mentioned Ellen."

"I bet you didn't mention James," he challenged, and it was there again, the jealousy and possessiveness that always arose when James was brought up. He knew that if this was every going to work out between them, James and Kendall would have to resolve their issues with each other, but until they did he was content to bask in the attention, as Kendall leaned down to give him a persuasive kiss.

"He slipped my mind," he teased. "But you don't have to worry about James anymore. He's set his sights elsewhere. I have to ask, have you talked to Carlos since last night?"

After a look of confusion, he explained, "Because he answered James's phone this morning. They seemed to have hit it off last night."

"Really?" was all Kendall could manage, for the first time piecing together the events of last night. "I'm not sure I like that. No offense."

"You don't like James at all," Logan noted, sensing that Kendall wouldn't argue it. "But whatever happened last night was consented to by both parties. James doesn't need to seduce men to get them to sleep with him. He's so charming they hop in of their own accord. I'd be lying if I said I thought James was looking for a relationship, but you never know."

Kendall nodded, as if he was prepared to think on the subject before declaring his feeling about it, and impatiently picked up a few of the bags that had been forgotten on the table. Logan took a few of the others, and together, Logan led them to the room where Charlie, as expected, was wide awake.

The doctor stepped in first, and was immediately recognized with an exultation of, "Doctor Logan!"

He couldn't help but smile at the excited boy, before glancing behind him, where Kendall had paused in the doorway. Calling him forward, he placed a calming hand on the larger man's back, moving his thumb in circles and reminding him to breathe, before introducing him, "So Charlie, this is Kendall, the guy I was telling you about. He was the firefighter that..."

"You saved my life," Charlie interrupted, and sure enough a glance at Kendall showed tears welling up in his green eyes. As predicted, he dropped the bags on the linoleum floor, before closing the distance between himself and the bed. As Logan looked on, Kendall embraced the boy, careful not to press too hard on any of his still-healing tissue. Charlie closed his eyes to hug the larger man back, and when he whispered something into Kendall's ear, the man chuckled, tears still shaking the muscles of his back.

Observing all of this, it only took a moment for Logan to realize what the boy had said.

"Thank you."


End file.
